Complications of Love
by Dawn Bently
Summary: Scorpius and Lily spent years pretending, hoping, loving, and leaving, but as things change they deal with all the complications of love with Albus' brotherly love  to support Lily, and close friendship to steer Scorpius in the right direction...
1. Chapter 1

"They're talking." Scorpius' voice was wired and he was clearly on edge as he peered across the large field behind the Potter house. Beside him, Albus was seated at the old picnic table he and his family had used for years, but he was not looking where Scorpius was. Instead, Albus was focused on the papers he held.

"Yes, well, they are cousins, Scorpius. You had to have expected that." Albus kindly reminded his childhood friend.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

Silence followed as Albus lowered his reading material and turned to Scorpius. Scorpius, however, kept his eyes on the two red heads near the back of the house as they talked and laughed. After a few more moments, Scorpius turned to Albus, having expected an answer in what seemed like ages ago.

"Well?" Scorpius pressed and Albus narrowed his eyes.

"Do I look like a woman to you?" Albus responded sharply and Scorpius narrowed his eyes in defensive. "What in the world would make you think I know what they're talking about? And besides, if I were you, I would stop assuming that they are even slightly concerned with you at all. Your health will be much better off if you don't let them think that you think you're so important that they should be talking about you."

"Conspiring is more like it."

"You're insane." Albus finally concluded as he returned to his reading. "Besides, has it occurred to you that they are cousins and friends before they are your ex girlfriends?"

"I don't have pleasant experiences with ex girlfriends."

"That stems from the way you treat ex girlfriends."

"Pray tell me, Albus Potter," Scorpius tore his eyes from Lily and Rose to glare at Albus a second time. "How should I treat them?"

"Well, the first thing to consider is after you've broken up with one girl, you should remove her and the people she is closest to, say a cousin, from your potential dating list."

"It wasn't supposed to happen that way." Scorpius responded defensively but Albus only shook his head and laughed.

"What did you forget?"

"No!" Scorpius snapped.

"Arguing?" Rose's tone was almost condescending as she pulled Scorpius and Albus' attention towards her. Peering up, Scorpius looked into Rose's warm brown eyes before he noticed Lily standing beside her. In harsh contrast, Lily's eyes took on an icy blue hue from the reflection of the lake behind the table.

"Rose, Lily." Scorpius nodded to each of them, but only Rose's eyes lingered on him. Lily had quickly turned to her brother and the two exchanged a hug.

"What are guys up to?" Lily asked simply as she turned to Scorpius. Though her eyes were far colder than Rose's, Scorpius knew from firsthand experience that the differences between Rose and Lily were far deeper than their eye color. Where Rose could be vindictive and vengeful when wronged, Lily's reserved demeanor did not falter. Scorpius also knew, however, that when Lily reached her limit, everything stopped around her until she'd completely vented and felt better. He was quite sure which of their antics he liked better, but hoped the weekend would pass without experiencing either.

"Reading an old copy of an article." Albus answered as he lowered the paper and handed it across the table to Lily. She eyed it curiously before she looked up at her brother again. At the same time, Rose took the article from her cousin's hand.

"What are you thinking?" Lily asked curiously.

"Not quite sure yet."

"Where did you find this?" Rose looked up after a brief glance at the article.

"Archives in the Ministry." Albus answered simply. "How much of that do you think is true?"

"Did you ask Mum and Dad?" Lily asked and Albus shook his head. "Probably a good thing."

"What?" Scorpius asked, confused. Though Albus had already explained the article to him, Scorpius had been far too preoccupied with Rose and Lily to have heard.

"Nothing you would be interested in," Rose commented simply, but her tone took on a harsh quality her words alone lacked. Scorpius narrowed his eyes at Rose, knowing it was not out of character for her to make such biting remarks, but the slight smile across Lily's lips threw him off. In the presence of the arguably, two most famous Weasley-Potter women, Scorpius found himself at the mercy of their once broken hearts.

"Old passages found among the ruins of Hogwarts after the battle." Lily answered.

"I believe that." Scorpius said immediately and Lily turned away from him, but he saw the smile widen for a moment across her lips before she forced it to fade. He knew she remembered one of their few romantic encounters at Hogwarts. In a slow to repair area of Hogwarts, the two had accidently stumbled upon falling apart passage ways that they later discovered did not appear on James' updated map of Hogwarts.

"Just because it's written doesn't make it true." Rose commented and Scorpius nodded.

"Just because you were always too busy studying to adventure, doesn't make it false."

"Is this really going to be one of those days?" Albus sighed as he peered between his favorite cousin and his best friend.

"Not is Scorpius can behave." Rose commented before she rose to her feet and turned to head back to the house. In the following silence, Albus' narrowed eyes turned to Scorpius.

"As if I did something," Scorpius replied with a scoff.

"Don't make her mad."

"But she can make me as mad as she likes?" Scorpius asked.

"You broke up with her." Albus said as though Scorpius needed reminding.

"Four years ago."

"Three, Scorpius." Albus sighed.

"Whatever."

"Well, maybe she's not recovered." Albus suggested and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"She's plenty recovered." Lily assured them and Scorpius held out an arm as he motioned to Lily.

"You see? She's just being difficult. Which is part of the reason it didn't work."

"Oh really?" Albus laughed as he turned towards Lily and retrieved the article from where Rose had been sitting. "And here I thought it was because your old flame grew up and left Hogwarts and stole the show from Rose."

"Nobody appreciates your biting remarks." Scorpius told Albus, careful to avoid Lily's lingering glances. He feared what might happen should she recall the truth to her brother's comments.

"Nobody appreciates you sleeping your way through the family."

"I'm hungry." Scorpius said as he turned away from Albus, but kept his eyes focused on some object in the far distance. He did not want the conversation to continue with Albus, especially in Lily's presence, nor did he want to look at Lily after Albus' comment.

"You're far too tense for this weekend, Scorpius." Lily told him and slowly, he forced his eyes to her. "Once the uncles realize your hesitance, you'll never live through it."

Groaning, Scorpius dropped his head to the table top. He knew she was right. Lily stood from her seat, and Scorpius could feel the table moving as she did so, but he jumped slightly when he felt her delicate fingers on his shoulder.

Her hot breath was on his ear before she even spoke, but her words had the same chilling effect. "Besides, Rose doesn't have any real problem with you anymore. You're the only who's letting her stomp around."

Slowly, Scorpius turned to the side and looked to Lily. Her face hadn't been so close to his since they parted ways, but he found her presence was not a chore to endure the way Rose's was. "Not everybody has the same effect on Rose that you do."

"And what's that, Scorpius?" Lily asked curiously.

"You switched things on her." Scorpius answered as he sat up straight and Lily's hand fell from his shoulder. "You were a mini-Rose until you were fifteen, and then you changed."

"Because we-"

"No details." Albus called out from the other side of Scorpius and Lily let out a soft laugh, while a very not innocent smile crept over her lips.

"Yes, well, after she graduated, she wasn't around you as much to notice, and then you graduated, and suddenly, it was as though you were the elder cousin and she was following you. Suddenly, you didn't care what she said or did and she did her best to make you."

"When did you become so people oriented?"

"When he dated half the country." Albus offered and Lily let out a soft laughed as she stepped so that she stood between the two men.

"I'm glad to see you, Albus." She said as she bent down to put a kiss on his cheek. "And you as well, Scorpius." She added as she turned to him and did the same. As she stood up again, she noticed Rose in the window of the house. The distance did not allow her emotions to be read, but Lily felt Scorpius tense as he imagined how his next encounter with her would go.

"Did you have to do that?" Scorpius asked as Lily started to walk away from the table and head back to the house.

"Well, after two years, I should hope it doesn't matter."

"Is your concern Rose?" Scorpius called out and Lily paused for a moment before she turned back to him.

"Isn't yours?"

"I'll get back to you on that."

Lily smiled at him, but it was the devious smile he had become so accustomed to over the years. As she turned her back to him once more, she continued to walk towards the house. Scorpius turned towards Albus, and was met by his odd stare.

"What?"

"You really want to go there, again?" Albus asked with a sigh.

"Would it affect our friendship?"

"No, I suppose not." Albus sighed again as he shook his head and Scorpius shrugged.

"Ok then."

"You're a dog."

"Did you ever consider that perhaps Lily and I continue to fall apart and together again for a reason?"

"You're insane, and she has commitment issues?" Albus answered bitterly, his tone obviously filled with sarcasm.

"I was thinking the other way around." Scorpius mused for a moment, and received a glare from Albus. "I'm kidding, I hope you realize. I just always thought Lily was the right one, but we were always happening at the wrong time."

"Scorpius, as your friend, I would agree with you. As Lily's brother, I feel I must warn you that if you hurt her, or Rose, again, something terrible will happen to you at the hands of a Weasley."

"Which one?" Scorpius asked, obviously not taking Albus' well intended warning to heart.

"Throw a stone and hit one."


	2. Chapter 2

"Lily, there you are!" Ginny called out as Lily reentered the home and her mother charged towards her. "With your work, we never get to see you anymore!"

"I know, I'm sorry, Mum." Lily replied as she wrapped her arms around her mother. Over Ginny's shoulder, Lily smiled at Hermione, who smiled back, but as Lily's eyes shifted, she was met with Rose's cold stare. Before she could respond, Ginny pulled away and Hermione soon replaced her in Lily's arms.

"Did you hear about the Malfoys?" Ginny asked curiously as Hermione stepped back, and the three remained near each other.

"No," Lily answered cautiously as she narrowed her eyes at her mother. "What about them?"

"You didn't see the papers?" Hermione made no attempt to hide the shock within her voice.

"I don't devote much time to reading tabloids." Lily admitted.

"They're not all lies, darling." Ginny replied.

"Well anything that ever involved me, Albus, Scorpius, or Rose was, so forgive me for my skepticism."

"Astoria Malfoy went on a bit of a rant about how her son never picks the right women." Hermione summed up the story, though Lily had a feeling she had severely edited the account.

"Is that what's got Rose twisted up about Scorpius?" Lily laughed and Hermione adverted her eyes while Ginny nodded meekly. Though the two were as close as sisters, and both cared deeply for their daughters and nieces, they knew the thin boundary that had always separated their flowers.

"That's interesting." Lily commented as she cleared her throat, earning stares from her mother and aunt.

"Don't say anything, Lily." Ginny said strongly and Lily simply returned the hard stare before she turned to the doorway. Her face instantly lit up, and as Ginny and Hermione turned, they found James standing in the doorway for only a few brief moments before he charged for his baby sister.

"Where have you been?" James demanded as he lifted Lily into the air. As he started to spin, Lily's small frame easily held up by his much larger one, Albus and Scorpius entered through the back door of the house, and for a moment, it seemed as though childhood had taken over present day life; James and Lily laughing, Albus and Scorpius quiet and close to only each other, and Rose in the next room scowling. Of course, she was angry about different things now, and Scorpius knew her, and Lily, on a much deeper level than he had when they were children.

And though his involvement with both Rose and Lily might've irritated or bothered James and Albus, they could not speak for their cousin, and neither dared to speak for Lily. Breaking Rose's heart was regrettably, but Lily was almost unbreakable, even when at the hands of Scorpius Malfoy. Even if he had succeeded, however, James and Albus were not foolish enough to think they would remain in Lily's favor for taking matters into their own hands. One of the few things James, Albus, and Scorpius had in common was that all three were deathly afraid of falling out of Lily's favor. Hey had all seen what happened to those unfortunate souls.

"I've missed you too, James." Lily laughed as he finally set her feet on the ground. He put a kiss on her cheek before he turned to Albus and the two shared a hug. Scorpius and James shook hands peacefully, with smiles from both parties. It was as amicably as the two had ever been, and probably ever would be.

"Lunch will be ready soon," Ginny told them, thinking of them as nothing more than school children, though she knew her children were now adults. She and Hermione had exited to the next room, leaving the three Potter children and Scorpius Malfoy to their own devices.

"You're never around anymore." James said as he looked to Lily and she lowered her eyes.

"I've been busy."

"Because there's a guy?" James asked and Lily laughed as she peered up at him.

"No, James. There is no guy."

Scorpius cleared his throat as he turned away from the Potters. "You know, I haven't seen Hugo in some years. I'm going to go find him."

"I bet you are." Lily said simply and he paused as he tried to turn away. She continued to watch the back of his head, until he finally nodded and walked away without responding to her. With a laugh she turned back to her brothers.

"He's been like that a lot lately." Albus said as Lily turned to him.

"I can't image being friends with his ex's family members is easy," Lily mused and her smile allowed the moment to remain light hearted, despite how James and Albus felt Lily's forced smile and laughter.

"Hasn't he always been squirmy?" James asked as he turned to Albus.

"To an extent, but never about women until you." Albus answered, and as his green eyes fell on Lily, James' warm brown ones did as well.

"Ponder that all you'd like." Lily told them simply before she turned away from them and walked into the next room. She immediately found Rose's brown eyes, but she continued peering around the room until she found Hugo and Scorpius in conversation in the far corner. Feeling Rose's eyes following her, Lily approached the two, and put her arms around Hugo's neck, finding him much taller than she remembered.

"My favorite cousin." Lily said with a slightly laugh and Hugo immediately turned his attention away from Scorpius to hug Lily.

"Perhaps the Weasley family reunion is poor place to broadcast that." Hugo commented but the two laughed anyway, Scorpius smiling alongside them. As they parted, Lily ignored Rose on the other side of the room, just as she avoided Scorpius' eyes. It was a widely accepted fact that of all the Weasleys and Potters, Lily was the most talented at evasion, be it from people or trouble, although James was a close second considering his childhood antics which anyone else would have suffered endless detention for.

"Anything that happens within the next few days will be nothing compared to Hogwarts and immediately after." Lily replied simply but Hugo's face darkened at the comment as his eyes turned to Scorpius. Scorpius had turned away from Lily and Hugo, but as Hugo peered to the other side of the room, he found his sister standing near the bookcase, as though she was examining the books, but it took him only a glimpse of her eyes to see the jealousy and anger.

"Please tell me you did not do that on purpose." Hugo said and Lily turned up to him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hugo. I never did anything on purpose. She might've believed I did something out of spite, but everything I did was for me. You should know that best of all."

"I remember when you first were together." Hugo said as he nodded. "But you changed since then."

"Not like that, Hugo. I grew up. I stopped caring what she thought of me, and she got mad that I didn't want to be like her anymore."

"Considering that you dated her ex boyfriend, it's rather difficult to believe that at the moment." Hugo answered as the two carried on the conversation as though Scorpius was not standing beside them.

"Think what you'd like," Lily responded simply as she stepped back from the two, their eyes following her. "Everything I did was because I wanted it." She told them, but Scorpius interpreted the meaning of her words much differently than Hugo did. As she turned to him, her same devious smile across her lips, both men felt as though he was meant to.

Without any other words, Lily turned away from them and continued into the next room, forgetting Rose's presence completely.


	3. Chapter 3

"Was there a particular reason you came here, Scorpius?" Lily asked curiously as she approached where he stood in the far corner of the room. Albus was with some of their Weasley cousins and everyone else in the room, although comfortable with Scorpius' presence, mingled with everyone else. Scorpius, who always carried a very reserved nature, did not seem to mind, though his reserved nature often melted in Lily's presence, whether either noticed or not.

"To get away from life for the time being." He answered truthfully. He'd never lied to Lily before and decided it wasn't the time to start, if ever a time existed.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, really. Just overwhelming."

"Work? Or your parents? Or just one of them?" Lily asked, even though she knew the answer. Scorpius cleared his throat as he shifted his eyes around the room, until he finally peered into her soft blue eyes.

"Just one." Scorpius confirmed what Lily knew, and both nodded softly. "Why did it take a reunion for you to come home?"

Lily had never lied to Scorpius either, but as his question fell on her ears, she debated whether or not the time for lying had finally approached. He saw her face drop as she averted her eyes, and he only nodded slightly, even though she could not see him. "You should be spending time with your family, since you have so little with them." Scorpius told her, allowing Lily to leave the question unanswered. As she peered up to meet his eyes, she knew he already knew the answer, but for some reason he needed to hear it in her voice.

"You're right." Lily agreed with a nod, and he nodded back before she turned to face her many uncles and cousins. As she stepped away from him, he took the opportunity to slip out of the house through the back door. He could see the sky starting to shift colors as the sun slowly reached the horizon, casting a stubble glow over the vast amounts of land surrounding the secluded Potter home. It was nothing like the Malfoy Manor where stone walls surrounded the property. He knew its purpose was to keep intruders out, but after his many years of friendship with Albus and the subsequent summers spent at the Potter home, he'd grown to love the absence of such stone and unforgiving walls.

There was something charming about the Potter household, but Scorpius never really knew what it was. The house itself was not bigger than the Malfoy Manor, only just big enough for the three Potter children and their parents, but he liked the cozy feel of one bedroom and bathroom per-person, and shared family rooms. Of course, with the presence of the Weasley's Scorpius found the room becoming smaller and smaller as more and more red heads arrived.

Despite the conversion from cozy to crowded, Scorpius always enjoyed time at the Potter home, the large number of Weasleys included. Of course, the majority of his memories involved simpler times when he was nothing more than Albus' closest, and quite possibly only, friend. There was a time when he had been Lily's secret boyfriend, and a time he had been Rose's quite public romantic companion. The memory that seemed all too fresh in everyone's mind, however, was when Scorpius seemed to betray Rose by become Lily's public boyfriend.

Only Albus, and Lily of course, knew it was much easier for the world to think he betrayed Rose than it was for him to betray himself. As a quiet and reserved person, Scorpius cared very little for what everyone thought of him, and he knew to an extent they were right, but watching Lily walk away from him a second time was not something his heart could endure. For a brief time, Scorpius and Lily feared Albus' opinion of them, but neither understand that perhaps Albus knew best of all what seemed to be between them. That was only because it seemed impossible for any third party to understand their relationship when Lily and Scorpius could not understand it themselves. To them, by the time their relationship had built up enough to identify it, it started to crumble again. They couldn't see what Albus saw. Where they saw pieces of what could've been, Albus saw their relationship for what it was.

Scorpius had wanted her for what seemed like forever. He wasn't sure when Lily had transfigured from cute schoolgirl to beautiful young woman, but by the time it reached his last year of Hogwarts, Lily had carved herself a permanent place among his thoughts. She, of course, had always harbored some sweet school girl crush on her favorite brother's best friend, but she was only fifteen at the time. They'd enjoyed each other's fleeting company, but Scorpius could see the future much better than Lily could. She wasn't emotionally ready for anything more than running about the castle after curfew and as soon as he left Hogwarts, they would be separated anyway. That marked the first time of many in which Lily and Scorpius had fallen together, then apart.

In Scorpius' mind, the year following those events had been a mistake. A grave mistake. By the time he realized Rose was not all he thought she was, it was already too late. He wasn't sure what had happened in Rose's mind, but he knew he fell in love with the idea of Rose, rather than what she actually was. He loved what she could be, but she wanted something entirely different. For some short time, he believed she thought the same, for she had been rather amicable towards him soon after their split. It wasn't until he and Lily came together, for the second time, that Rose's attitude towards him had shifted.

For some unknown amount of times after that, he and Lily found each other and fell apart almost like clockwork. First, he had his work where she was enjoying her first year out of school. Then she had work when he was focused on his personal life. There was always a reason for their parting ways, and though he knew some part of his heart broke off each time he walked away, it somehow reattached itself as soon as Lily returned to his arms be it days or months later. And sometimes all it took was a smile from her soft lips.

"Enjoying yourself?" A voice pulled Scorpius from his memories and he turned to the door to see Harry Potter exiting the house and closing the door behind him. He held a drink in both hands, but offered one to Scorpius as he neared him.

"Thank you." Scorpius said as he took the drink and took a sip. "Just enjoying the quiet."

Harry let out a dry laugh before he sipped his drink. He pulled over a chair from the side while Scorpius took a seat on the old wooden bench on the porch. "You have to be out here for quiet."

"But family is worth the chaos." Scorpius responded and Harry nodded softly as he looked at Scorpius. There was a time when Harry could not help but hold the boy's family line against him, but over time, Harry learned to see Scorpius for who he was, and Scorpius had never aspired to be anything other than himself. It was the very core of what had brought him and Albus together in such a close knit friendship. Where the world had seen their fathers in the two young boys, they wanted nothing more than to be simply Albus and Scorpius, respectively.

"Sometime the chaos is nothing more than chaos, though." Harry answered and Scorpius nodded softly before he turned out to the hills again. "Then, there's Rose on top of that." 

Scorpius drew in a deep breath before he finished his drink in one long gulp.

"Don't hold your breath. They're not alcoholic." Harry laughed and Scorpius sighed as he put his head back. "Ginny didn't want to risk the little ones getting a hold of them."

"What good is chaos if you can't drink it away?" Scorpius asked and the two men laughed, Harry nodded in agreement.

"Rose is just a little temperamental, Scorpius. It's nothing that she has against you personally. Her mother was the same way." Harry commented and Scorpius watched the elder man.

"Except Rose is under the impression that everything I do has something to do with her." Scorpius said and Harry only nodded. Scorpius didn't expect an answer, only because he respected the position Harry was in as not only his best friend's father, but also the uncle and father of two of his ex-girlfriends.

"Don't tell anyone I told you, but it's best to deal with those situations by cutting all contact."

"Except that…" Scorpius started and Harry nodded, already knowing the difficulty Scorpius would have upholding Harry's advice.

"And that is why it's best not to date family members of close friends, even if those close friends don't mind." Harry added and Scorpius nodded, even though he'd already discovered that piece of information the difficult way.

"What about you and Ginny, then?" Scorpius asked. "And Hermione and Ron?"

"It's alright if you know it's right." Harry added and Scorpius laughed as nodded and drew in a breath.

"Well, if I could take back dating Rose, I would."

"And not Lily?" Harry asked and Scorpius peered at Harry for a moment. The question was innocent enough, but Scorpius was not sure how Harry was asking it. His tone, however, implied it was just a question, but Scorpius knew better than that.

"Not Lily." Scorpius finally answered, deciding he really didn't care what information Harry could possibly gather from such an answer simply because it was true.

"Because it has not yet gone as sour as things with Rose have?"

"No, that's not why." Scorpius answered as he shook his head and lowered his eyes to his hands as he twirled the small glass between his large fingers. "Because, even if it never works with Lily, there were times that I wouldn't trade for anything."

"And if Albus had said no?" Harry asked curiously and Scorpius rose his gaze to meet Harry's. "I am assuming you had to have talked to him about it beforehand."

"Yeah," Scorpius nodded and laughed softly. "But, Albus' answer wouldn't have mattered because I'd have respected but Lily wouldn't have."

Harry laughed as he reclined in his chair and stared out at the never ending stretch of beautiful land behind the home had had long ago bought for his he said anything, he simply contemplated the truth of Scorpius' comment. "You know them both better than anyone else, Scorpius."

"Albus, maybe."

"No, Lily too." Harry nodded as he shifted his eyes to Scorpius. "I don't know why you've split up so many times, but considering you've never actually hurt her and she continues to go back to you, I'd have to conclude that you don't give yourself enough credit when it comes to her."

"Thank you," Scorpius said softly, but Harry only nodded as he shifted his gaze to the scenery once more. For a moment, silence fell around them, but it was quickly shattered as the door opened and Lily's head poked through the opening.

"Can you come to the store with me?" She asked as she looked at Scorpius. "It seems we've gone through more food faster than Mum anticipated."

"Yes, of course." Scorpius answered as he rose to his feet and started towards the door, but Lily had already stepped out of the house and wrapped her arm around Scorpius'. "Apparating?"

"Unless you have a better idea." She answered, but Scorpius only smiled faintly at her sarcasm. "Tell Mum we'll be back soon," She told her father who only nodded before he locked eyes with Scorpius. The gaze lasted only a few moments before the two disappeared leaving behind only a soft pop echoing through the air.


	4. Chapter 4

"Enjoying yourself?" Scorpius asked curiously as he walked beside Lily towards the Potter home.

"Of course." She answered as they approached the front porch, but they struggled to open the door while both carried bags of groceries. Finally, after some trying, they managed to pull the door open and nearly fall into the home, both laughing as they struggled to keep hold of their bags.

Albus had neared the two first, taking the bags from Lily's arms first. James quickly followed behind to take one from Scorpius, but as the four turned, they found Rose's heavy gaze upon them.

"Get any chocolate?" Hugo called, and Scorpius laughed as he reached into James' bag to retrieve a bag of muggle chocolates.

"For you and James." Scorpius said as he tossed the bag towards him. "Got us marshmallows, Al." He added and Albus only laughed as they continued down the pathway and into the kitchen. Scorpius paused, however, and reached into his bag to retrieve a small bag of candies he knew Rose adored. "For you."

"No thank you." She told him strongly, before she brushed passed him to head up the stairs.

"More for you, James." Scorpius called out as he started to turn, but stopped when he saw Lily standing behind him. "Or you can have them."

"I don't want them." Lily told him as she turned and walked with Scorpius into the kitchen where Albus and James were helping their mother unpack the bags on the countertop. The two helped for a few more minutes but quickly returned to the presence of their extend family, leaving Lily and Scorpius to finish putting the things away with Ginny.

"Thank you for going, Scorpius." Ginny said as she turned and smiled at Scorpius who only shook his head.

"It's no problem."

"Will you be spending the night?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Scorpius answered as he shook his head, but he was met by Ginny's hard stare.

"Nonsense. You and Albus have shared that room for years."

Lily only laughed as Scorpius simply nodded and caved into Ginny. Having never met the infamous Weasley Grandmother, Scorpius did not understand in what ways Ginny resembled her mother, but was assured constantly that such similarities existed.

While still in the quiet, Scorpius finished putting everything in its place before slipping away from the Weasley family chaos, but he didn't notice Lily following him out of the house. "How's your escape from life going so far, Scorpius?"

Scorpius turned back to look at Lily for a moment, before he turned away again. "Fairly well, actually. Much better than work and my own family."

"I thought you'd have been far too uncomfortable to ever show your face here again." Lily laughed as she reached the steps of the back porch. Scorpius had started towards the seating area he had sat in with Harry, but as Lily continued away from the house, he followed behind her.

"Admittedly, facing Rose and her parents was not the highlight of this trip." Scorpius answered with a dry laugh and Lily turned to peer at him.

"And me?"

"You're different, Lily. You know that." He assured her. Rather satisfied with his answer, Lily only smiled and faced forward, her eyes locked on the old picnic table under the shade of the old oak tree. She had some of her best childhood memories at the table, and a good number of them included Scorpius.

"Rose just hasn't accepted that she isn't perfect at everything." Lily finally said, but Scorpius was not sure how to respond to such a comment.

"How does that have to do with me?"

"She doesn't understand what's wrong with her that would make you want to be with me instead of her." Lily translated as she stopped walking and turned to look up at Scorpius. Though he'd always admired how direct the youngest Potter could be, he knew she sometimes had trouble easing into subjects that often needed warming up before a full conversation could be had on it.

"It was never about her."

"She doesn't see that." Lily answered simply as she took a small step towards Scorpius before she turned and continued walking through the grassy field. Scorpius continued at her side, at the closer proximity she had initiated.

"Well, Rose really isn't a main concern for me anymore." Scorpius admitted and Lily looked up at him, a slight smile across her lips.

"How do you mean?"

"I used to be concerned about her. About what she would think, and if she would mind what I was doing."

"A difficult position to be in." Lily commented, but Scorpius left it alone. Though he knew the Lily beside him was simply Lily, he knew that within her mind, some small piece of her still admired everything Rose embodied. To Lily, and perhaps to the world, Rose was the ideal Weasley. At the same time, she was always everything Lily wasn't, by nature, but by the time Lily realized that, she'd already spent a good portion of her life trying to live up to the standard Rose had left behind for her.

"But I haven't thought about it in some time. At least not until Albus conned me into coming here."

Lily only laughed at his comment. They slowly reached the table and sat across from each other, though both subconsciously leaned over the table towards one another.

"How your work coming?" Scorpius asked curiously, and Lily only smiled at him.

"Could be better." She answered honestly. "My assistant recently quit and the Ministry has filled the position with someone else."

"Their incompetent?"

"The Ministry does not understand why I prefer somebody who has minimal training in Runes or even Magic History." Lily answered. "The guy they sent is absolutely terrible. He doesn't know how to handle the artifacts. He's not good for anything other than sorting papers and filing paperwork and scheduling lunch."

"Other than that, have you made any ground breaking discoveries?"

Lily only laughed as she looked into Scorpius clear blue eyes. "No, I'm mostly translating ancient spells and potions. The majority of them will be off limits to the general public. Forbidden."

"Why?" Scorpius asked curiously, eyes narrowed as he watched Lily. He'd always been fascinated with her line of work, but she was the only one he knew within the field.

"It's irrelevant really," Lily answered. "Witches and wizards today aren't capable of the magic that was practiced that long ago. It requires a great deal of concentration and faith. It's not the silly wand waving that we have now. It was a lot more artful and precise than it is now. Most of that magic isn't really a spell; in terms what we think spells are now."

"You mean your grandmother." Scorpius commented and Lily nodded softly.

"Voldermolt had very real connections to that form of magic. It was twisted and dark and he clearly was practiced in the dark arts, but he was a brilliant wizard who was capable of changing magic for the world for good. But he changed everything for evil. The spells he was practiced in were derived from similar ancient spells. That doesn't happen on accident."

"You studied him didn't you? Extensively?"

"It's a classic case for any beginner Ancient Runes class. Perhaps not his mind, but his spells. And the spells that wounded him. He would have died that night with my grandparents had he not already engaged another type of powerful dark magic. The magic my grandmother was capable of conjuring, on her own, without doing so on purpose, was more than strong enough to kill him if he hadn't been so careful, so paranoid."

Scorpius said nothing as he simply stared across the table at Lily. He adored how passionately she spoke of such powerful uses of magic. Her eyes often lit up and her smile was as genuine as he'd ever seen it. Lily was one of the few women, and quite possibly the only, he knew who could appear so radiant, and do so effortlessly.

"Will you say something?" Lily laughed as she averted her eyes downward, and Scorpius knew he had made her self-conscious.

"Just listening to you." He answered simply before she looked up to meet his eyes once more.

"I've missed you," Lily admitted as she broke their eye contact a second time. Slowly, Scorpius reached out, his fingers gently touching the back of her hand on the table. Without looking at him, Lily turned her hand, and their hands joined slowly as though neither knew how they fit together. It was quite the opposite, however, considering both knew very well exactly how they fit together.

"I've missed you too, Lily." Scorpius responded, his voice lower than his normal speaking voice. Slowly, Lily raised her eyes to meet his gaze, but his smile seemed to lessen the intensity that had suddenly fell around them. "I don't know how you do this." He finally said, sounding breathless as he held his gaze on her.

"Do what?"

Scorpius let out a dry laugh as he retrieved his hand from Lily, but not before he felt her fingers tighten around his even if for just a moment. "I've spent years falling for you, and I've spent weeks falling for you again, but never have you done this to me in a matter of hours."

Lily quickly turned away from Scorpius, and he found it curious how she could look anybody in the eye for the duration of any conversation regardless of how difficult the topic may be, but she could not hold his gaze for more than a few moments when they spoke of their relationship.

"I'm only going to be here for another few days," Lily finally said and Scorpius nodded, though she could not see him. "Then I'm going back to France."

"I know," Scorpius nodded as he reached out to touch her chin. With only slight pressure from his fingers, Lily peered up to meet his gaze. "I knew that, Lily."

"Ok," She said softly, unsure of what else she could say to him. Before the silence could unnerve her, she spoke again. "Do your parents know you're here?"

"No," He answered simply with a shake of his head. "I don't talk to them as much as many think."

"Why? They're your parents."

"You don't keep in touch with Albus, or your parents." Scorpius answered and Lily wanted to turn away, but instead held his gaze.

"You're right." She said softly as she agreed with him. "But these last few years, I've spent trying to separate myself from everything here."

"I know." Scorpius nodded but Lily only stared at him. She didn't understand how it was possible for anybody to remotely understand her position.

"I want to be somebody myself. I don't want to go places because I'm a Potter."

"I understand." Scorpius told her gently as he rose to his feet and moved to sit beside her on the other side of the table. "I know how difficult it is for you, Lily, but you don't have to distance yourself from everybody to prove that you're more than just somebody's daughter." Scorpius' words were soft and nearly whispered as he faced Lily, one of his hands resting over hers, until she entangled their fingers again. Though he wanted to soothe and comfort her, he found increasingly difficult to remain on topic when she was seemingly creating distractions for him.

He wanted to say something more, but he felt Lily's body move closer to his, while her free hand reached out to touch his side. He let out a short breath as he shut his eyes, his fingers tightening around hers. He wasn't sure how long it had been since they'd last shared any physical contact, but judging by how quickly he surrendered to her touch, he knew it had to be at least a year.

"I miss you." She said softly, and with his eyes shut, he was left to judge how far her face was from his based on the sound of her voice. He felt her remove her hand from his and slowly run her hand up his arm until she reached his shoulder. Slowly, her fingers touched his neck and Scorpius felt his breath stop. He wasn't sure if any repercussions would surface if they continued, but as her hot breath touched his lips, he couldn't think clearly enough to even care.

"I miss-"

Lily had silenced him with a kiss, and the gesture was all it took for Scorpius to reach for her body. He moved his lips against hers passionately as he wrapped his arms around her body and slowly pulled her to his lap, her legs finding space on the outside of his. As they continued, Lily's fingers reached his blonde locks, which her other arm locked around his neck. He knew what her motions meant, but he also knew that nothing short of a death threat could pull him from her lips at the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

As the night came to a quiet end, Scorpius sought solitude in the kitchen where he kept his hands busy with various dirty dishes and out of place objects. In the front room, Albus, James, and Lily were saying goodbye to the few remaining family members with their parents along side. As Scorpius continued picking up around the kitchen, he peered up as he heard the back door open, finding Rose entering the house.

He turned away from her, deciding it was probably best not to start conversation with someone who clearly wanted nothing to do with him. Behind him, he could hear a second set of footsteps entering the kitchen from the next room, and judging from the light steps, he guessed it was either Lily or her mother. Looking over his shoulder, he found Lily nearing him, her wand in her hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I was going to clean the kitchen with a simple spell, but thank you for that." She answered sarcastically.

"Well, whenever you come at me with a wand, it never is a favorable outcome." Scorpius defended himself, and Lily laughed with him before she waved her wand around the room, watching as dishes floated to the sink and started to clean themselves. The already clean ones stacked themselves nicely in the cupboard and various towels started to wipe down the countertops.

"All the other times I've needed my wand around you, you deserved whatever you got." Lily told him and Scorpius scoffed as he looked down at her. With certainty in her eyes, Lily met his gaze and for a moment, the two only stared at each other, both daring the other to turn away or break the silence first. They were so preoccupied with one another that neither noticing Albus nor James joining Rose in the kitchen, all three of whom who watched the pair with fascination. Albus was the only one, however, who recognized their stares for what they were. Where James was laughing at their childish antics, Albus saw the start of yet another short lived romance between the two.

"You're irritating." Scorpius finally told her and she only laughed, still holding his gaze.

"You're wrong." She answered as she turned away, Scorpius' narrowed eyes following the back of her head as she neared her brothers.

"What about when you tried to hex Connelly and instead hit me into the lake?" Scorpius said and Lily paused before she turned back to him, her narrowed eyes meeting his.

She let out a soft laugh before her lips turned into the devious smile Scorpius knew her for. "I would have to say that I long ago expressed my sincere apologies for that particular incident and you responded very, very forgivingly to me."

Scorpius stood, rather stunned at her answer while James laughed, fully understanding the implications of Lily's response. Albus, however, turned to Rose, whose gaze had quickly fell onto Scorpius.

"What does that mean?" Rose demanded and James quickly fell silent. Scorpius turned to Rose, unsure of what exactly she expected of him. Lily turned to Rose as well, but it was clear from her plain expression that it made no difference to her how Rose responded to the truth.

"Rose, it's getting late." Albus tried to step in front of her, but she pushed him to the side and stepped towards Scorpius.

"You were with Lily first?" Rose's harsh voice was demanded as she stared up at Scorpius. He quickly averted his eyes while Rose turned to Lily. "Lily?"

"What do you want, Rose?" Lily responded sharply. "What do you want to hear? That he's still in love with you? That you haven't failed at something in your entire life? What difference does it make to you if Scorpius and I had been together, however briefly, during Hogwarts?" Lily demanded and Scorpius looked up at her, only to find her parents had joined their sons in the audience.

"Were you?" Rose repeated strongly.

"It is far more accurate to say you had my leftovers rather than the other way around."

"Lily," Scorpius groaned and she turned to him.

"What?"

"Really?"

"What?" Lily could not stop the smile and the laugh that escaped her lips. Watching her prompted a similar smile across Scorpius' lips, despite the fact that both knew it was rather inappropriate at the moment.

"You couldn't phrase that differently?"

"You both lied to me," Rose's raised voice brought their attention back to her.

"No we didn't." Lily answered. "Unless you recall one of us explicitly saying that we had never been together before you and Scorpius, nobody lied to you. Quite honestly, nobody knew because nobody asked."

"I asked and was lied to." Albus put in and Lily turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Because it was weird back then, Al. You were my brother and um… Never mind. We're not talking about you." Lily told him with a sigh before she turned to Rose. "And I don't understand why this even matters to you. You've told me very explicitly that you have no feelings for him anymore and you didn't even like him at Hogwarts, so really, there is nothing for you to be mad about."

Rose's accusing eyes turned to Scorpius, but he remained silent as he let her simply glare at him. With nothing left to say, Rose eventually turned away from the two and made her escape into the next room, leaving Albus to follow her.

"Was that really necessary?" Albus hissed at Lily before disappearing around the corner in the direction Rose had gone.

"What is her problem?" Lily demanded as she turned to James, then to her parents.

"Well," James started. "I honestly thought it was assumed by everyone you two had been together at Hogwarts, but she did see you guys out at the table jumping each other bones."

"James." Harry's stern voice quickly silenced his adult son.

"I mean becoming intimately close." James rephrased as Scorpius turned away, his pale skin doing nothing to hide the embarrassment across his cheeks.

"She's just a-"

"Lily." Ginny used the same technique as Harry had, both staring at their children wondering how they could be so inappropriate especially when discussing their cousin.

"Well, you know what, when she stops talking down to me like she so much better than me, maybe I would be a little more open to her." Lily responded simply. The fact that she has so little self esteem that she's still pissy about a guy she broke up with ears ago, is really not problem. The fact is after four years, he's open game already."

"What is it with you?" Scorpius sighed as he turned to her.

"Well it's true." She answered.

"I'm open game to you?" He repeated as she shrugged.

"James would date a girl who broke Albus broke up with four years ago. He's dated girls that he broke up with months after."

"Open game?" Scorpius repeated.

"What would you like me say, then?" Lily asked.

"You have no shame." He told her simply and she simply nodded as she stared up at him.

"Compared to the guy who crashes somebody else's family reunion and has a very intense kissing session with his best friend's little sister where the whole family can see?"

"It's been years since I've seen you as Albus' little sister, Lily." Scorpius assured him and she only nodded along with him.

"Oh, I bet. But let's not forget that you're Rose's ex-boyfriend, and quite frankly, that's a pitiful group to be a part of. You're the only guy she's ever dated that I can stand."

"I'm not sure if that says more about Rose's taste or yours." Scorpius answered strongly, and Lily's devious smile reappeared across her lips, obviously enjoying the banter Scorpius could provide for her.

"I think it's safe to say that in your instance, Rose was seeing very clearly, and then things got clouded over and she dumped you, because you being, I don't know what she said about you. Something dumb."

"Is this how you compliment people?" Scorpius asked but Lily only shrugged.

"You're not someone who needs compliments." She answered before she turned and walked away, leaving Scorpius in the kitchen with a very amused James and her parents, both of whom saw very clearly what Albus had moments before.


	6. Chapter 6

Lily had woken up in the middle of the night and instead of laying in bed, she decided to head downstairs in search of a late night snack. As she walked around the corner of the front room, she paused and narrowed her eyes at Scorpius who lay across the couch, his legs propped up on the arm rest at the other end. Hearing footsteps, he turned and narrowed his eyes at Lily in the doorway.

"What are you doing down here?" She asked.

"Albus wouldn't shut up." He answered as she laughed before she continued into the kitchen. Scorpius sat up on the couch and turned to look at her as she started to look through the kitchen. "The fruit cups on the bottom shelf."

"Thank you." She answered, her tone slightly sarcastic before she retrieved a small fruit cup and turned to look back at him. "You guys were talking about me?"

"Is that a problem?" He answered and she only shook her head as she retrieved a fork before walking to sit beside him on the couch.

"No I suppose not." She told him before taking a bite. As she finished, Scorpius took the fork from her fingers before taking a bite for himself. "Go get your own." She told him as she took her fork back. He only laughed as he leaned back on the couch, his eyes still on her.

"It tastes better when it's somebody else's."

"You're just lazy." She answered simply and he laughed again. She quickly finished the small snack and with a wave of her hand, the empty container and fork floated to the countertop in the kitchen. As she turned towards Scorpius, she found his gaze already locked on her. For a few moments, they sat in companionable silence as Scorpius slowly moved his hand to touch her soft red curls. With one finger, he twirled one of her long locks until he reached up to her neck and then her cheek.

Lily leaned closer to him and eventually rested her head on his chest, and Scorpius' arm easily found its way around her body, holding her closer. Neither said anything, and instead simply remained close to one another, an experience that came so rarely in their separate lives.

"This gets harder every time." Lily said softly before she lifted her head to look up at Scorpius. He wrapped his other arm around her before he leaned towards her, pressing their foreheads together.

"I thought that was just me." He admitted but Lily shook her head.

"I guess I just get better at hiding it since everyone always questions me about you the moment the find out we were in the same room."

"Who?" He asked curiously.

"You remember Amber." She answered and Scorpius nodded as he started to retrieve bits and pieces of memories involving Lily's closest friend from Hogwarts. "She's planning our wedding." Lily added with an edge to her voice, but Scorpius laughed.

"For how long?"

"Since we were eighteen." Lily answered and Scorpius laughed again before he pulled her to his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly leaned towards him, until he closed the gap between their lips. The kiss lasted only a few moments until Lily pulled away from him, put kept the distance between them minimal. "She's going to ask me why we're not together when I get back."

"She's in France, too?" Scorpius asked.

"Spain." Lily answered, "But the Ministry has her traveling every week to Headquarters in France."

"The life of a historian." Scorpius commented and Lily let out a soft laugh as she lowered her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I never know what to tell her."

"The truth." Scorpius answered. "There was always a reason we went separate ways. First Hogwarts, and then I was traveling for work. And when I stopped doing that there was Rose, and then you transferred to France. And since then we only see each other at Ministry events and the Memorial Ball for the war, and things like this." Scorpius answered and slowly Lily lifted her eyes to look into his.

"I requested to transfer because I couldn't stand you dating Rose." Lily admitted, but Scorpius didn't know how to respond to such a confession. He only stared into Lily's eyes until she turned away from him and rested against his shoulder again.

"That's definitely one of my bigger regrets." Scorpius finally said and Lily felt his body tense beneath her.

"Not the biggest?" Lily asked after a silent moment between them.

"No."

"What's your biggest regret?" Lily asked as she picked herself up and looked into his eyes. Scorpius turned to her and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers before he managed a soft smile across his lips.

"Letting you get away so many times." He answered, and Lily could not turn away from him, nor could she respond. Instead, she simply held his gaze, wondering if he knew exactly what he did to her and her heart. In the silence, Scorpius simply pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back hesitantly, the back of her mind still occupied by his own confession. Her hands found their way to his neck just as he tightened his arms around her waist. Lily had only started to lose herself in Scorpius when the sound of a third person in the room startled them. Looking back, she sighed to find James grinning in the doorway.

"What?" Lily snapped at him and he only raised his hands in innocence as he continued into the room and turned the corner to head towards the kitchen.

"Hurry up, James." Scorpius told him simply.

"Hey," James replied as he turned to the pair. "Should you be defending yourself right now? You're only violating my sister in my home in front of me."

"What do you want me to say?" Scorpius answered, slightly agitated at James' presence for obvious reasons. "That it's not what it looks like?"

"Well, yeah that's a good start." James shrugged as he reached into a cabinet to retrieve a bag of muggle chips he was so fond of. As he turned back, he was met by very dirty stares from Lily and Scorpius.

"It's exactly what it looks like." Scorpius assured him and James only laughed as he started for the exit.

"See? There's a reason everyone likes you for Lily, even though you continually inappropriate with her in the presence of her family."

"Oh, and why is that, James?" Scorpius asked, his voice showing his annoyance, though James hardly minded at all. He knew of course he was irritating the pair, but he also knew his minutes long interruption would hardly be remembered as soon as he left.

"You're honest." He answered before disappear around the corner, finally leaving the two along. As Lily turned to Scorpius, he wanted to continue kissing her, but paused at the wide smile across her lips.

"What?" he asked.

"He's right, you know." Lily told him. "My parents love you, but I'm sure that it has something to do with Albus more so than anything else. And even James likes you, even though you two aren't as close as you and Albus."

"Well, I've been Albus' friend longer than I've been interested in the female population."

"I know. I think that's why my parents like you. You're very honest, Scorpius. Knowing that you were Albus' friend first means that you're his friend for real, and not because of me. You are a lot more genuine than any other guy I've ever dated."

"I didn't know there were other guys around long enough to even mean anything." Scorpius responded. He tried his best not to be hurt by it, because he knew that the few nights a year he and Lily shared would never been enough for her. Nonetheless, he found the idea of other men touching and hold Lily the way he did so was difficult concept for him to accept.

"Don't look like that, Scorpius, please." Lily told him and he turned away from her as he drew in a breath.

"I'm sorry." He told her softly. She reached out to him, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "I figured you dated, I just…" He trailed off as he stared at Lily. It had been years since either of them expressed the depth of their relationship in the form of words, and to some extent, that made it easier to part ways, but as Scorpius battled the idea of other men in Lily's life, the three simple words he hadn't spoken in so long suddenly came to the forefront of his mind.

"Don't you date?" Lily asked.

Scorpius shrugged as he shook his head. "It's not really dating so much as getting drunk and picking a girl."

"Why don't you date?"

"There are several reasons for that." He answered. "There are my parents who are surprisingly picky about the women in life. I mean, I could drop my entire career and they would be ok, but if I pick the wrong girl, we're on the verge of a third war. And less surprisingly, no women want to meet my parents."

"You're mother is sweet."

"You are the only woman in the world who has ever said that." Scorpius responded. "They like all my friends, but never any girlfriend, except you."

"Is that the only reason for not dating?" Lily asked and Scorpius shook his head.

"No, there's also the fact that every other woman in the world is not you."

Lily turned away at the comment, but Scorpius slowly reached for her cheek. He did not press her face, to force her eyes on him, but at his touch, Lily slowly turned back to him. "I don't get along with anyone as well as I do with you." He told her simply. "And it's hard because I know you're worlds away and I miss you all the time, Lily. I've tried to date, I really have, but it's just impossible when all I'm doing is comparing them to you, and inevitably, nobody matches up."

Lily let out an uneven breath and a tear escape her eye, but Scorpius was quick to wipe it away. "How long have you felt that way?" She asked softly, her breath irregular.

"I've only realized it maybe a year ago." He answered. "But I think I've been this way since the first time I kissed you."

"You haven't dated in a year?" She asked and he nodded. "Aren't you lonely?"

"Well yeah, sometimes, but I'd still be lonely if I was dating. It's not as if these women ever come back to my apartment, and they're very short lived relationships anyway. Most of the time, Albus is around too, so I'm not always alone."

"What if he meets a girl?" Lily asked and Scorpius shrugged.

"He has a habit of picking girls that don't actually like him." He answered. "They often try to con me into… I don't know what they want, but it's not Al."

"You know what they want." Lily responded and Scorpius nodded only once.

"I'd like to think that at least one girl sees Albus for what he is, instead of pining for someone who will never want them. He's a lot better man than I am."

"Why do you think that?" Lily asked as she shifted, moving closer to him as her hand rested on his neck.

"He doesn't mess up the relationships that mean the most to him." Scorpius answered simply. "He doesn't hurt the woman he loves, and he doesn't push her away."

Scorpius quickly wiped away the tears that soon trickled from Lily's eyes, but he knew she held the majority of them back. She leaned forward to press their foreheads together, and in the silence, Scorpius simply held her wishing the moment would extend for longer than just a moment. He knew that the little time they had would pass much faster than he cared for and held onto to Lily as tightly as he could in hopes she would linger in his arms just a moment longer.

"It's not just your fault." Lily finally told him in a broken voice, but he understood her clearly. "It's mine too that we're almost never together."

Instead of responding, Scorpius simply lifted her in his arms before he shifted his position on the couch so that he was lying down. Lily repositioned herself beside him, welcoming his arm snaked around her waist to pull her even closer.


	7. Chapter 7

He could still feel Lily's small frame beside his, and as he drew in a deep breath, he recognized the sweet smell of her hair. With a smile, Scorpius slowly opened his eyes to find Lily's peaceful face looking at him, still lost in sleep. He slowly untangled his arm from her body then reached up to push the hair from her face. For a moment, Scorpius only watched Lily, knowing it had to be years since they'd fallen asleep with one another. It'd been so long, he couldn't remember the last time he woke to see her and as a result he relished the current moment, for fear he wouldn't relive the experience any time in the near future.

"Coffee's going to get cold," Harry's voice startled Scorpius, who nearly jumped at the sound. He peered up to find Harry sitting on the other couch, a mug in one hand while he held the morning paper in the other.

"How long have you been down here?" Scorpius asked and Harry only looked up at him.

"That's really irrelevant." Harry answered simply before turning back to his paper. "Besides, this is much better than when you climbed through the window in the middle of the night during her winter break."

Silence followed as Scorpius stared blankly at Harry who casually continued sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper. "You knew about that?" Scorpius asked and Harry only nodded. "Well,  
Scorpius started but Harry only turned to look at him.

"You know what? That was a long time ago." Scorpius finally said and Harry nodded in agreement, the two men deciding the past was best left unspoken. Leaving the topic alone, Scorpius slowly climbed off of the couch, careful not to wake Lily. Before walking away, he pulled the blanket up from her waist to cover her arms before he gently pushed her hair from her face a second time. As he turned, Scorpius paused for a moment when he saw Harry had watched the gesture, but as he returned to his paper, Scorpius continued to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Harry called out and Scorpius only looked up at the back of his head. He drew in a breath as he set his cup on the counter before he responded.

"How do you mean?"

"How long has it been since you two have actually dated?" Harry asked as he folded his paper and rose to his feet. He turned and entered the kitchen, holding his mug in one hand, and dropped the paper on the table as he passed it, before he continued towards Scorpius.

"I guess, five or six years." Scorpius answered and Harry nodded.

"Well, how big would you like that number to get?" He asked, but Scorpius was lost for an answer. "Every time she comes home, she's happier than I've ever seen her but when we go to see her, she never smiles or laughs like she does when she's here. And I used to think that she just liked being home, but she was like that when you and Albus had left for that year, but the moment you came back, she just lit up."

Scorpius looked down into his steaming mug, knowing that Albus would say he underwent the same emotional highs and lows.

"I don't know why you split up," Harry admitted, and Scorpius looked up at him again, doing his best to remember Harry as Lily's father. At the moment, however, Scorpius could not help but hear a fatherly tone in Harry's voice that often matched the way he spoke to James or Albus. "But it's obvious that there's not any real reason for it, because I think it's fairly safe to say that had you ever done her wrong, she'd have been the first to correct it."

Scorpius only laughed as he nodded in agreement. "We have reasons, but slowly, each of them is only proving to be futile and irrelevant." Scorpius admitted simply and Harry smiled at him for a brief moment.

"You're the only boyfriend she's ever had that didn't squirm whenever I came around." Harry said and Scorpius only laughed.

"I have to admit that you were very intimidating to an eleven year old."

Harry laughed with Scorpius before he finished his coffee. "Ginny and I are going out today, but you two can come long if you'd like." Harry said and Scorpius nodded.

"We'll probably stay in, but I'll ask her when she wakes up." Scorpius answered and Harry nodded before he turned to walk away. Scorpius sipped on his coffee as he pondered what Harry had told him, but his thoughts quickly shifted to the present as Lily sat up on the couch. He smiled at her before he started to walk towards the couch and take the seat beside her.

"Good morning." He told her softly and she turned up to him with a wide smile across her lips.

"Good morning." She replied before she pressed her lips to his. He responded to her and wrapped his arms around her body. After a moment, Lily pulled away from him and looked into his eyes before she rose to her feet and started to walk towards the exit. As she left the room, Albus passed by, holding a wand in his hand.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Very." Scorpius answered as Albus approached him and held out the wand.

"You left it in my room."

"Thank you." Scorpius responded as he took the wand and tapped himself on the shoulder. His clothes straightened out and with just the simple spell, Scorpius appeared rather put together.

"Lily slept down here too?" Albus asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes." Scorpius answered as he followed Albus.

"I bet you enjoyed that." Albus commented, but Scorpius shook his head.

"It's not what you're thinking." Scorpius replied and Albus turned back to him and only shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter," He said. "It still has the same effect on you. You get all giddy the next day and you're impossibly happy to the point where it's annoying."

"Thank you for your support." Scorpius replied sarcastically but the two old friends laughed together. It wasn't long before James soon appeared in the kitchen, followed by their parents. As the three young men took seats at the table, Ginny started to put together breakfast, Harry hovering around her helping with little tasks or just watching her.

Just as the food was ready, a knock was heard at the front door. Scorpius looked up at Albus, then to James, both of whom stared at their parents with equal surprise. "Somebody answer that." Harry said simply, and for a moment nobody moved.

"You're both lazy." Scorpius told them with a heavy sigh as he stood up and left the room.

"You're just kissing ass because you're Lily's renewed boy toy." James answered, earning a hit on the back of his head from Harry as he passed by to reach his seat beside Ginny. Despite the smack, James and Albus snickered at the comment, though Scorpius effectively ignored it.

As he reached the door, he pulled it open and simply stared at the man standing on the porch. He held flowers in one hand, but Scorpius was paying far more attention to his office wear which made the man look rather ridiculous.

"Can I help you?" Scorpius finally asked.

"I'm looking for Lily. Isn't this the Potter household?" The man answered as he continued to stare around Scorpius and into the home.

"Yes, it is." Scorpius answered. "What do you need her for?"

"I'm her assistant."

"Ok," Scorpius only nodded before he stepped to the side and let the man in. With narrowed eyes, Scorpius watched the man who slowly ventured into the house and down the hallway until they reached the kitchen.

"Who are you?" James asked bluntly.

"Lily's assistant." Scorpius answered before he took his seat at the table, only to find his food had been partially divided. "James, give me back my food."

"You got up, man." James answered and the two subsequently began to argue, until they were met by Harry's stare. Though James paused at the look, Scorpius took the opportunity to steal his food back, before the two looked at the man who obviously looked down at the pair as though they were far beneath his maturity level.

"What are you doing here?" James asked.

"I need Lily's signature on something," He answered simply as his eyes traveled to Harry, then Ginny, until he settled on Albus.

"She'll be down in a minute." Ginny assured him before she offered him a place at the table and empty plate, but he declined.

"What's the deal with the flowers?" James continued to question the man, but Scorpius peered up at him as well, rather interested in the reason for the bouquet of white lilies.

"They're for Lily."

"Should've gotten tulips." Scorpius said simply as he stared at the odd looking man. "Or daisies."

"No," The man's voice was sharp and almost condescending as he spoke to Scorpius. "They're lilies for Lily."

"How clever. I stand corrected. She'll adore them." Scorpius answered sarcastically before he turned back to his food. Though he managed to contain his laughter, Albus and James snickered alongside his grin.

"I spend hours every day with her. I know what she likes."

Scorpius looked up at the man, his eyes narrowed. "What's your name?"

"Richard."

"Ok, Richard," Scorpius nodded, his laughter starting to escape him. "You don't know anything about her."

"I know everything about Lily."

"What are you dating her?" Scorpius asked, obviously amused by the man. Curiously, James and Albus also peered up at him, though Ginny and harry did their best to overlook the boys' chastising of Lily's young assistant.

"Not… Not yet." He stammered as he looked away and Scorpius cleared his throat before he started laughing again.

"Well, good luck with that, then." Scorpius told him before looking to Albus, who was enjoying the morning entertainment as much as James was. Lily soon entered the kitchen before anymore jokes could be made at Richard's expense, even if he wasn't aware of them.

"What are you doing here?" Lily snapped as she saw him and Scorpius peered up to watch the exchange, as did her brothers.

"I needed your signature." He answered simply as he reached into his inside pocket to retrieve a folded document.

"And you couldn't owl them? Or wait?"

"I didn't know when you'd be back." He answered, his tone suddenly dropping from the mighty one he'd used with Scorpius.

"In two days." Lily answered sharply. "You know that, Richard. You filed my time off papers." She reminded him as she took the document and quickly scribbled her name before handing it back to him. "What are those?"

"For you." He answered as he held the flowers out for her, but she leaned back.

"Those are lilies." She said.

"Yes, just like you."

"Ok," Lily nodded as she turned away from him and took the seat beside Scorpius. "Put them on the table, Richard. See you in two days." She told him simply before she turned to the table full of food. "Those look good." She commented as she took a sausage from Scorpius' plate, before she started to serve herself from the plates in the middle of the table. After a few minutes, she finally looked up to find Richard watching her with an odd look in his eye.

"Richard, go back to France." She said as kindly as she could. "I'm off of work right now."

"Exactly." He responded. "Which is why I think we should go out tonight. Get dinner."

James started to laugh while Albus managed to contain his snickering. Scorpius only stared up at the man, wondering how he could not understand Lily's obvious disinterest in him.

"Richard, what are you doing?" Lily asked him in all seriousness. "Do you think we're dating?"

"We always get dinner, Lily."

"Over work. Don't assume that because I don't like Ministry food that we're on dates when we get dinner." Lily told him in a very serious tone. When Richard did not respond she turned to Scorpius, her eyes pleading with him to help. However, he could only laugh at the desperation of her assistant.

"Do you like Quidditch, Richard?" Scorpius finally managed to say as he peered up at him.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Well, you know what? Why don't you got into town today with James. He's a pro-Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons." Scorpius offered and Richard quickly averted his eyes to James. James, however, turned to Scorpius eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"No, I'm busy today." James quickly objected.

"No you're not." Albus said as he and Scorpius grinned. "Remember? You asked if I wanted to do anything. Well, why don't you entertain Richard and I'll stay in. I have some reports for work to do, anyway. Besides, you should want to get to know Lily's future boyfriend."

"Can I see the inside of the Quidditch pitch?" Richard asked as Albus and Scorpius exchanged glances.

"Of course." Scorpius answered. "He takes everyone inside. It's really cool. You'll enjoy it. But you should really change out those… fancy clothes."

"Ok," Richard agreed as quickly turned to leave the room, and the table quickly broke into laughter.

"I hate you Malfoy." James' tone was deep and heavy as he glared across the table at Scorpius.

"If you hadn't made so many cracks at me, I wouldn't have had to do that." Scorpius responded simply.

"I hope she dumps you." James said darkly, but was met by laughter from Scorpius and Albus. Even Lily snickered lightly, though she did her best to hide it.

"He's not all bad, James." She assured him but he only stared at her. "He's just a little… slow."

"That man's a moron." James replied and Albus and Scorpius started laughing again. "And you two are evil."

"Oh, come on." Albus turned to James. "You take girls there all the time."

"And what is my team going to think when I show up with him?"

"Lie to him." Scorpius answered with a shrug. "Tell him the pitch isn't open today because of construction."

"I hate all of you." James said simply just before Richard came around the corner once more dressed in the Chudley Cannon's bright orange colors. James only stared at the mad man for a moment before he eyed Albus and Scorpius, both of whom could barely container their laughter.


	8. Chapter 8

"You're terrible for you did to James." Lily told Scorpius, though her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She was lying above him on the couch, her hands on his chest while he kept his arms wrapped around her waist. James had already left with Richard, and her parents had left as well, leaving only them and Albus in the home, but he left the two alone.

"Oh well." Scorpius responded softly before he pressed their lips together. Lily kissed him back enthusiastically as she let her hand roam his torso, and even dared below the waist until Albus entered the room.

"What was Anne's friend's name?" He called out and Lily quickly retrieved her hands from Scorpius' body as though Albus was under the impression that had not already gone much farther in their physical relationship.

"Sarah." Scorpius answered simply before he sought Lily's lips once more, but turned back to Albus at the last minute. "Why?" He asked.

"I was going to ask her to dinner." Albus answered simply. As Scorpius started to sit up, Lily moved off of him, obviously irritated at Scorpius' sudden interest in Albus.

"Why not Anne? Anne is way saner than Sarah." Scorpius said.

"I agree," Albus answered. "But Anne likes you."

"No she doesn't." Scorpius responded, watching Lily out of the corner of his eye. He noted how she lowered her eyes at Albus' comment.

"Yes, she does." Albus replied and the two simply stared at one another.

"Who's Anne?" Lily asked softly and Scorpius turned to her. He reached out for her hands, but Lily kept her eyes diverted.

"She's one of the on call Healers at the Ministry building." Scorpius answered softly. He heard Albus leave the room, but did not turn to check. He kept his eyes on Lily, who finally turned to him, but she didn't squeeze his fingers like she often did. She nodded softly as she held his gaze, but said nothing.

"She and the nurse Sarah had to fill out some paperwork with Albus and I a few weeks ago." Scorpius explained and Lily nodded softly. "Lily?"

"I don't know how much longer I can do this." She finally said, holding his gaze, but he saw how quickly her eyes had watered.

"What- What do you mean?" Scorpius asked as he moved closer to her, trying to reach for her, but she kept his hands between them.

"This. This once a year thing between us." She answered before she swallowed. He watched her battle her tears, knowing how she hated to be so weepy.

"We can find a way to be together, Lily." Scorpius told her softly, but Lily shook her head as she held his gaze. For a moment, she pressed their lips together, but Scorpius could feel that something had changed. It wasn't just a sweet kiss, but more of a moment to relish and remember. It was a last kiss. "Lily, I can take time off and-"

"Scorpius," Lily said his name and he knew what she was going to say. He knew she right. "That's not going to enough." She said softly as she played with his fingers, her eyes falling from his and instead focusing on their intertwined fingers. Scorpius said nothing as he simply watched her. He wasn't sure what to say to her.

"You can't say that this was enough for you." Lily finally said softly.

"Well, no, but-" Scorpius stopped as Lily meet his eyes again. "I'd rather a few nights with you than none at all."

"Well, I'd like a real relationship, and right now, that's not something we can easily do." Lily answered but only silence followed. Scorpius slowly reached up to touch her cheek gently, and she leaned into his touch as she let her eyes drift shut. As he stroked her soft skin, he only watched her as he tried to sort through the many things she'd brought up in his mind.

"Does that mean that in the future we-"

"I don't know." Lily told him before he could finish. He nodded as she opened her eyes to look at him. "I don't know what's going to happen, but it's impossible for me to have anything real when I know that when I came back here you'll be waiting. And I know you feel the same way. You're just more willing to ignore it than I am."

"Yeah," Scorpius agreed as he weakly smiled at her. For the many reasons Lily fascinated him, her straightforward attitude was only a single one. "I love you, Lily."

Lily wanted to look away from him, but she held his gaze anyway and watched the turmoil and pain she'd created flash across his face and eyes. Before it was too much for her to watch, she leaned forward and pressed their lips together again, expecting Scorpius to remain still against her. Instead, he responded in full, his arms wrapped around her in a very real fear that as soon as she left his arms she would not return. With the same fervor, Lily kissed him back, her own hands reaching out for him to feel his body for what very well could be the last time.

The pair broke apart when the sound of the front opening echoed through the room, but Lily did not remove herself from Scorpius' embrace. With equal stubbornness, Scorpius did not release her from his arms, deciding that should she want to leave, he would not push her away. Instead, they only stared at each other, Lily's hands slowly trailing from his neck to his torso as they reveled the intimacy for as long as they could.

"I love you, too." Lily told him, but her voice was barely louder than a whisper and fell on Scorpius' ears softly.

"Lily, what-" Richard's voice echoed through the room, obviously distraught at the scene before him. Instead of startled by his presence, Scorpius and Lily remained rather unaffected. After a few more moments, Lily slowly turned to see Richard entering the room, James close behind. Her parents were also in the doorway, but they had quickly moved into the kitchen.

"Who is this guy?" Richard demanded as he motioned to Scorpius, but Scorpius kept his eyes on Lily. James quickly noted the broken look across their faces, and the way Scorpius' hands lingered on Lily's waist. "I thought we-"

"No, we aren't." Lily told him simply, but her voice lacked an edge James knew should've been there. As Lily rose to her feet, Scorpius' hands dropped and his eyes averted to the other side of the room. He remained seated at the couch as Lily moved into the next room, then left the house through the back door, leaving Scorpius behind.

"Scorpius," James started but Scorpius only shook his head as he stood up. He felt every set of eyes on him, but effectively ignored the feeling as he passed Richard and James to go towards the stairs. Richard had started to say something but James was quick to put the odd man in his place. As he turned back, however, he was too late to stop Scorpius and inquire about the obvious fracture in his relationship with Lily.


	9. Chapter 9

"You need to go out." Albus declared as he stood in front of Scorpius, who was seated in his living room. Scorpius only peered up at Albus for a moment, before he returned his gaze to the take out he'd ordered from the muggle restaurant he loved. "You haven't been out in months."

"I'm not going out." Scorpius replied simply.

"Come on, Sarah and I are going out tonight, and you're coming with us."

"I'm not crashing your date. Have you gone insane?" Scorpius answered as he peered up at Albus.

"You know what?" Albus replied as he stepped forward and pulled the small carton of food from Scorpius' hand. "I might go insane in the next few weeks because my best friend has died from the inside out!"

"Don't be so melodramatic, Albus." Scorpius told him strongly as he stood up and turned to walk towards the kitchen. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." Albus responded as he set the carton on the coffee table before following Scorpius in the kitchen. "It would be one thing if you were moping around and refusing to see people, except that you're acting like nothing happened. So if you want to pretend nothing happened, then go out and see people. You're choice."

"What? My choices are be depressed or be social?" Scorpius repeated he turned back to Albus who nodded. "What exactly does this prove? That I'm no alright if I can't go out?"

"Yes."

Scorpius only stared at Albus, shocked into silence. For what seemed to be hours, they only stared at each other, Albus to stubborn to speak, and Scorpius too confused. When a knock came at the door, Albus finally walked away to answer it, leaving Scorpius to continue putting things away in the kitchen.

"Made your decision yet?" Albus asked as he reappeared in the kitchen, a cute brunette woman beside him.

"Hi Sarah." Scorpius said kindly with a smile towards the woman before he turned to Albus. "And I was under the impression that you had known me since we were eleven. I think it's really not that far of a jump to assume I'm not really that happy right now. What do you need confirmation for?"

"You're going out." Albus said simply. "I'm going to go find your presentable clothes."

"Albus, I'm not going anywhere other than the couch." Scorpius responded strongly, but Albus left the room and headed towards the bedroom anyway. "Your boyfriend has lost his mind."

"He just wants to help." Sarah answered softly. Scorpius knew she felt out of place whenever she was in the company of the two old friends, and understandably so. Scorpius and Albus had been close friends for more than ten years where as Sarah was only a new addition into Albus' life. She wasn't yet as comfortable with Albus as Scorpius was, nor was Albus entirely comfortable with her.

"He's insane." Scorpius declared as he continued to stack dirty plates in the sink. Moments later, Albus returned to the kitchen holding his wand. "What are you doing?" Scorpius asked in a very cautious tone as he eyed Albus' wand.

Without an answer, Albus flicked his wand towards Scorpius, whose clothes quickly changed to a far more presentable outfit than his old pants and shirt. With another flick, his hair straightened out as well. "No." Scorpius said sharply as he stepped towards Albus to retrieve the wand. "Change me back, right now."

"No." Albus responded. "Sarah has some really hot friends, ok?"

"No, I don't want to be there while she's getting mad at you for checking out her friends." Scorpius responded as he turned away. "And besides, Anne drives me up the wall." He added before looked back to Sarah. "No offense."

"Not Anne." Albus sighed and Scorpius looked to him.

"No, Albus. What in the world makes you think this is going to work? If she's stupid, I'll be annoyed. If she's smart, I'll sit there comparing her to Lily all night. If she's remotely as good looking as you claim, same outcome."

"Just shut up and let's go." Albus responded and Scorpius sighed as he reached up to mess up his hair, hating the way combed hair felt on his day off.

"Al, listen. I'll owl that Italian restaurant, the one you love. I'll have them put a table under your name, on my tab and you and Sarah can go have a nice dinner." Scorpius suggested and Albus only stared at him.

"No. I don't need you to pay for my date, Scorpius. I make more money than you do!"

"Then go take her out yourself, for crying out loud. Get the hell out of my apartment, then!"

"You're coming with us." Albus repeated and Scorpius shut his eyes as he tilted his head back. "Just this one time, Scorpius, and then you can be a loner all you'd like."

"I don't believe you." Scorpius muttered as he grabbed his coat from the nearby table. Albus only laughed as he turned to Sarah and offered his hand.

"You shouldn't." Albus assured him as he walked with Sarah towards the door, but was careful to make sure Scorpius followed them out of the apartment. It was only a short trip to the restaurant by Apparating, and so the three appeared before the big doors rather quickly. Albus opened the door, allowing Sarah to enter first, but stopped Scorpius with a stare.

"At least be nice." Albus told him, earning a glare before Scorpius passed him and entered the building. With Sarah leading the way, the two men made their way through the restaurant. Sarah soon found the table, where a blonde woman was already seated. The two hugged while Albus and Scorpius carefully eyed the woman. Scorpius looked to Albus, who only smiled at him, and as the two women pulled apart they eyed the men carefully.

"They read each other's minds." Sarah explained quickly as she took the seat in the center beside her friend in the rounded booth. Albus sat on the end beside Sarah while Scorpius sat across from him beside the blonde woman.

"I'm Natalie," She introduced herself as she turned to Scorpius with a wide smile. He easily smiled back as he introduced himself as well, but only Albus could see his resistance.

"I already ordered drinks for us." Natalie said as she turned from Scorpius, though her eyes did linger on him for a moment. Scorpius turned to Albus, who already knew his first objection to the woman he'd barely met. Instead of voicing any concerns, Albus quickly turned to Sarah, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"So what do you do, Scorpius?" Natalie asked, her pretty green eyes locking on Scorpius' forced smile, though she couldn't tell any better than Sarah.

"I work with Albus in the Ministry." Scorpius answered with a soft nod but Natalie tilted her head at him.

"They have all their secrets about that." Sarah explained as she narrowed her eyes at Albus.

"We deal with sensitive information." Albus defended as he looked to Sarah with a wide smile. She only laughed as she shook her head, both obviously enjoying the light hearted talk and each other's company. "We'd be fired if we started offering up classified information."

"Uh huh," Sarah said as she nodded at him. Before Albus could answer, a man approached the table and set four glasses on the table, but Scorpius did not reach for the glass.

"Can you bring a glass of water?" He requested and the man simply nodded before he walked away. As Scorpius turned back, he found Natalie's eyes on him. "I don't drink." He explained and she only nodded.

"Is there a particular reason?" She asked.

"No," Scorpius shook his head and shrugged. "Besides, I get reprimanded by the Healers everyday about my unhealthy choices. I probably shouldn't add anymore to the list." He lightly joked as he looked to Sarah.

"All you agents are the same," Sarah said with a sigh as she shook her head, and Natalie only nodded along.

"What do you do, Natalie?" Scorpius asked politely, doing his best not to be rude but also trying to make it difficult for Natalie to become romantically interested in him.

"I work at the Museum."

Albus' eyes had instantly lost the shine Sarah often brought out in them as he turned to Natalie. "The Museum of Magic History?" He clarified and Natalie nodded proudly. Scorpius only stared at the drink sitting in front of him that had never looked so tempting until only moments ago. With a laugh, Albus nodded and turned to his own drink, quickly finishing it before he reached for Scorpius' and took a sip.

"You're going to get a headache." Scorpius warned but was met by only Albus' gaze. Albus knew Scorpius' weaknesses and was quick to remove them before Scorpius had enough time to succumb to them.

"What do you do there?" Scorpius returned his attention to Natalie who exchanged a look with Sarah before she turned back to him.

"I'm an assistant to the researchers," She answered with a shrug. "I mostly just get coffee and look up dates. Sometimes I sort papers and whatnot." She explained as she laughed and turned to Albus. "Actually, there's a new exhibit featuring the Second Wizarding War."

"Imagine that." Albus laughed, but Scorpius was not the only to detect the falseness in his laugh, for Sarah could as well.

"So, you're not in research, then?" Scorpius asked. He couldn't help himself, but not even Albus could stop him from that temptation.

"Oh, no." Natalie laughed as she shook her head. "Those historians and researchers are just impossible to deal with. They can barely hold conversations with normal people."

"How do you mean?" Scorpius asked.

"Just everything is about some insignificant rock from hundreds of years ago. It's ridiculous." Natalie sighed as she reached for her drink and took a sip. "And a new expert came in a few weeks ago, and she's not any better than the others. She got so mad at me because I shortened some of the lines on one of the exhibits during my explanation."

"Oh yeah?" Scorpius laughed along with Natalie, but it was clear that if it wasn't too early for Scorpius to at least attempt dating, Natalie was the wrong person to do so with.

**X**

Scorpius was first into his apartment with Albus and Sarah trailing behind. "You've lost your mind, Albus. Did you know that?" Scorpius asked as Sarah closed the door behind them. Scorpius turned back to Albus and the two stood across the room from each other.

"How was I supposed to know she was going to be like that?" Albus replied simply. "Not that she's not lovely." He added as he turned to Sarah, and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"I didn't think it was possible to feel worse than I did before I left, but apparently it is." Scorpius said and Albus sighed as he turned towards him.

"We're going to my parents in a few weeks."

"You're taking Sarah home?" Scorpius asked and Albus nodded.

"You're free to come." He replied with a shrug. "Get out of town for a while and unwind a bit."

"I'll think about it." Scorpius answered after a moment's silence. Albus only nodded as he turned to Sarah. "Just us?"

"Well, yeah," Albus answered. "James is in Ireland for the games and… Yeah, just us." Albus nodded as he looked back to Scorpius. He'd tried to make Scorpius feel better, but Albus had long ago realized he had no idea what to do in the situation. Of all the times Scorpius' relationships came to an end, he'd either facilitated the break, or had been only minimally affected by it. Never had Scorpius and Lily effectively removed each other from their lives, and Albus wasn't sure if he could do anything about it for his closest friend. He was certain that the place Lily held in Scorpius' heart was far too deep to ever really be repaired.


	10. Chapter 10

"Won't he be out of place at your parents?" Sarah asked quietly and Albus turned to her. He narrowed his eyes as he thought about his answer, knowing very few women have ever understood the relationship between him and Scorpius, as well as the one between Scorpius and his entire family. Albus was quite certain that of the short list of women who did, Lily was the majority of it.

"It's really best to think of Scorpius as my brother than a friend." Albus suggested and Sarah nodded slowly. "He's basically lived there for several years."

"Really?" Sarah asked with narrowed eyes and Albus nodded as he looked over his shoulder to see if Scorpius had finished packing for the weekend.

"Well, with school, we were only home for the summer, and for the majority of the summer, Scorpius was there." Albus explained. "And he was even there after we graduated, but had less to do with me tan you'd think."

"He doesn't get along with his parents?"

"It's not that." Albus answered shaking his head.

"I'm confused." Sarah sighed but Albus only laughed as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"That often happens when people try to understand him."

"Why do you understand him, then?"

Albus laughed, and turned when he heard Scorpius' footsteps nearing the pair. "Mostly because I knew him before all of the complicated parts were there."

"Stop gossiping about me." Scorpius told them lightheartedly as he neared them. "Let's go."

"Alright." Albus said as he and Sarah rose to their feet. Albus lifted his bag in one hand, and offered his other to Sarah. Before she could lift her bag, however, Scorpius quickly picked it up and Apparated out of the apartment before the pair. Albus and Sarah followed and appeared in the living room of the Potter home.

"I baked some bread, Scorpius." Ginny said and Scorpius immediately dropped the bags to head for the kitchen in search of his favorite food.

"You're amazing." Scorpius told her as he passed her, but paused to put a kiss on her cheek. Ginny only laughed as she turned to Albus and hugged him, then hugged Sarah before any formal introductions.

"You're so cute." Ginny exclaimed and Albus sighed as he shook his head.

"Mum, please." He groaned, but Scorpius was already laughing from the kitchen. "Can't you just talk to her like a normal human? And Scorpius, stop laughing. It's not like your mum hasn't ever gone crazy about a girl."

"No, but my mother hates them all." Scorpius answered as he turned to Albus. "So, really, it's not the same thing at all and it's way more amusing when it's you. Besides, you should be glad, Albus, honestly. It's not like she's one of James' typical girls."

"Be nice." Ginny said warningly as she turned to Scorpius, then to a grinning Albus. "But you're right." She sighed as she nodded and turned back to Sarah. "You're much classier than James' dates."

Scorpius and Albus laughed before Albus retuned his attention to Sarah and his mother while Scorpius indulged himself in Ginny's baking. As Ginny and Sarah started to talk, Albus sitting nearby, the house was peaceful, but it soon became loud and echoing with laughter as the front door opened. Scorpius peered up at Albus, who looked to his mother slightly confused.

The confusion across Scorpius' face was quickly replaced, however, as soon as Lily came around the corner her arm wrapped around the arm of the man beside her. Harry was walking behind them, but their laughter died as soon as Lily's eyes fell on Scorpius.

"Scorpius." Lily was the first to speak as she unwrapped her arm from the man's and stepped towards him. "What are you doing here?" She asked, but her tone was harsh and almost demanding.

"I'm here with Albus and Sarah." He answered, becoming slightly defensive at her tone of voice.

"You came with him when he wanted to introduce his girlfriend to our parents?" Lily repeated and Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Shouldn't you be in France bossing people around the Museum?" Scorpius countered.

"France?" The man standing near Harry laughed as he stepped forward and took Lily's hand. "Why would you be in France?" He asked as he turned to Lily, but she kept her eyes on Scorpius.

"You transferred to London." Scorpius said simply as he stared at Lily, but she quickly diverted her eyes from his, even as he stepped towards her. "When?" He demanded.

"It's doesn't matter." She responded strongly as she looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "I can do what I want, Scorpius, and you don't have to know every detail."

"That's great, Lily." Scorpius told her, his voice obviously filled with sarcasm. As he walked passed her, it was careful not to look towards her date, but did look to Albus with a heavy stare.

"I didn't know." Albus told him defensively and Lily quickly turned back.

"I didn't tell him, Scorpius."

"That's even better, Lily." He said as he turned to her again. "You know, it's one thing to lie to me, but to your own brother also?" He asked as he motioned to Albus. "What? You don't even have lunch with him after you come back into town after being gone for how many years?"

"I wasn't under the impression you were counting." Lily snapped but Scorpius' stare did not reflect that her words had affected him in any way.

"You know damn well I was counting." He responded simply. "But I was talking about your brother, not me." Before Lily could respond, Scorpius had turned and left the house through the back door, leaving Lily behind.

"What the hell, Lily?" Albus turned to her, but their parents quickly stepped between them.

"Albus, it's alright." Ginny said but Lily stepped towards Albus despite Harry at her side.

"What did I do?" She asked him harshly and Albus glared at her.

"You come back to London and you don't tell him? And you show up with some other guy?" Albus asked as he motioned to the man now standing behind Lily rather awkwardly. "And what? Did I not warrant an owl, or something? I wouldn't have brought him if I knew you'd turned into a bitch."

"Albus, enough." Harry said strongly as he pulled on Lily's arm.

"I didn't do anything other than not mention I was back to you." Lily responded. "I don't owe him anything, and you know it. And I'm perfectly free to date other men and bring them home if I so please."

"Yeah, I'm sure you've been able to convince yourself that." Albus said bitterly as he walked towards the back door.

"What does that mean?" Lily demanded and Albus turned back to her.

"You know what it means, Lily. You've dated guys before and I've watched you convince yourself that you like them, and this guy isn't any different."

"Don't start talking like you've been in my life enough to know what you're talking about." Lily warned strongly.

"How could I, when you ran off to France because you got a little hurt? And then you don't tell me when you move back, so how could I ever be part of your life, Lily?" Albus demanded as he opened the door but did not exit the house just yet. "Oh by the, that's Sarah the woman I've been seeing for four months. You don't know who she is because you're never around." He added before he left the house, letting the door close behind him. Lily knew he was going after Scorpius, and though she was the type to argue until she won, she didn't want to risk a second confrontation with Scorpius.


	11. Chapter 11

On one side of the table, Albus sat between Scorpius and Sarah, and across from them Lily sat with her new boyfriend, a man whom Scorpius had eventually been formally introduced to as Mark. Harry and Ginny sat at the ends of the table, both trying to think of a time the dinner table had been so tense, and both unable to do so. Though Sarah was able to keep up with, at least minimally, with Scorpius and Lily's shared past, it was clear from Mark's questions that Scorpius was nothing more than Albus' childhood friend, although Scorpius was willing to assume Mark now thought of him as insane after the confrontation between him, Lily, and Albus earlier.

"So, you're a nurse, Sarah?" Ginny asked sweetly, sounding as though it were any other night and not one filled with such mutual hostility.

"Yes," Sarah answered with a light laugh. She, too, had a knack to shine even when the air around her was far too tense for others to do so. Albus attributed it to her line of work, which required somebody to lighten the mood otherwise everyone might fall victim to their sometimes depressing work. "But I'm studying to be a Healer soon."

"And you look after the field agents?" Ginny asked.

"Yes." Sarah answered with a nod. "Whenever they get caught in cross fire or injured somehow, they just show up in the infirmary and there's always some Healers and a few nurses on call. There's rarely anybody who is seriously hurt, although Albus and Scorpius certainly have a talent for finding as much trouble as they physically can." Sarah laughed, and Albus smiled with her, but Scorpius' face remained straight.

"They get that from their fathers." Ginny commented simply, and under any other circumstances, Harry would've defended himself. Instead the comment went unanswered and only the sound of forks scrapping against the glass plates filled the space.

"So what do field agents for the Ministry do?" Mark asked curiously as he leaned over the table, looking to Albus. Though Albus looked up, Scorpius refused to.

"We help put things in order and every once in a while there's somebody who needs protection, or something has to be retrieved." Albus answered vaguely, and Mark nodded along as though his words were absolutely fascinating.

"Although, most of the time all they do is walk around and pretend their important, because really, they're very replaceable. I mean, every year Hogwarts lets out a fresh batch of equally trained witches and wizards." Lily commented and Scorpius peered up at her, his eyes somehow becoming just as cold as her, though neither Albus, nor Lily, had ever seen it happen prior to that moment.

"That's a little cold, don't you think?" Scorpius replied but Lily shrugged.

"I've seen the way you've treated some of your ex-girlfriends, so really that's nothing." Lily answered and Scorpius turned to Albus. As Sarah knew them for, the two seemed to have their own private conversation without the use of any words, earning them a rather confused stare from the man.

Finally after Albus shook his head, Scorpius drew in a deep breath as he turned back to face his food and the two continued to eat as though everyone at the table, save Sarah and Lily, hadn't stared at them, for only Sarah and Lily were used to their odd antics.

"Didn't you date Rose Weasley?" Mark asked and Scorpius ran his hand through his hair.

"Yes, he did." Lily answered and Scorpius sighed heavily, but kept his eyes on his food.

"Isn't she your cousin?"

"Yes, she certainly is." Lily answered as she nodded and reached for her glass. As she took a sip, Scorpius stared up at her, wondering where the Lily had had loved for so long had disappeared to. He had known Lily when she was angry, and even though he had done nothing to warrant her wrath, she currently was not acting as though she were angry. Obviously she was upset, but she was far colder than Scorpius had ever seen her, and he certainly did not find anything in this fuming Lily attractive, nor could he imagine what Mark saw in her in her current state.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Mark asked curiously.

"No, it doesn't." Albus answered before Lily.

"No, no. Let Lily answer this one, since she seems to know me better than I do, tonight." Scorpius commented as he stared at Lily, his eyes matching her stare and refusing to step back from her challenging stare. "I'm sure dear Mark would love to know all of our history, even if it is rather long to go over during the course of one meal."

"What makes you think I haven't already told him?" Lily asked.

"Because no sane man would come here if you'd told him the truth." Scorpius answered, his own words starting to match Lily's in coldness. "See, most guys don't take the fact that you've dated your brother's best friend as a good sign, because it mostly means you latch onto the first guy you meet. They also think that running to another country after a fight means you're not very stable. And as a point of clarification, purposely withholding information that makes a big difference in somebody's life is seen as being…" Scorpius trailed. "What's the word I'm looking for, Al?"

"I already called her a bitch." Albus answered and Harry and Ginny dropped their faces into their hands.

"Good, then we've covered this already." Scorpius commented, still holding Lily's gaze.

"And about men who date their best friend's sister, Scorpius? What does that say about them?"

"That they obviously should've gone looking elsewhere." Scorpius answered strongly and Lily's eyes narrowed at him.

"Like the cousin?" Lily asked but Scorpius stood from his seat and left the room before any more remarks could be made about him and Rose. Though Scorpius had spent the last several months less than happy knowing Lily sought more than the few nights a year he gave her, he found himself wondering why he'd spent so much time pining for her when she had grown so cold. She knew how close to the heart comments concerning Rose were taken, and yet she made them so easily that Scorpius could recognize Lily any longer.

He had fallen in love with a girl struggling to fit into the image Rose had left behind. He had reached out to her and let her see the beauty within herself which only he could see. He had loved her then, but left her behind to allow her time to mature and give him time with life. When he'd returned, he seemed to fall in love with her all over again, but she had become a woman by then. She was her own person, in her own right, and was quite accomplished in her career. She was confident and stunning, and Scorpius fell for the outward beauty she projected because he remembered a time that same beauty had been locked within her self-built walls.

The Lily he'd left at the table, beside another man, lacked the shinning beauty Scorpius had loved her so for. She was not elegant and graceful, nor was she warm and gentle. It seemed that Lily had long since departed and left a cold one in her place.

Scorpius was careful, however, not to allow the man beside her to be part of the reason he was so enraged with Lily. He knew that when they parted ways so many months ago, other romances would eventually take place. Though he hated the idea that another man was holding Lily the way he had, he took solace in the fact that Mark held a Lily much different than the one he had once loved so entirely.


	12. Chapter 12

With only a day and half left of his scheduled time off, Scorpius sat in the shade of the old oak tree behind the Potter house in the empty field. He knew that specific location was connected to many memories of him and Lily, he was focusing only on the ones that involved Albus, James, or even Hugo. Scorpius was quickly coming the realization that he had effectively ruined any relationships he once might've had with the women in the Weasley-Potter family.

Pushing the thought to the side, Scorpius stared out at the vastness that surrounded the Potter home. In the distance, he could make out the other houses that shared in the seclusion of the field, but he focused mostly on the grassy hills and the far away pond he had once walked to with Lily on his arm. Before the memory could be completely pulled from the back of his mind, Scorpius was distracted by the sound of somebody approaching him. As he turned, however, he paused to find Mark nearing him slowly.

"What are you doing out here?" Scorpius asked simply and Mark only shook his head as he sat at the old picnic table, leaving the base of the tree for Scorpius.

"Lily and her brother are arguing again." Mark answered and Scorpius turned away.

"They weren't always like that." He commented simply before he drew in a deep breath. "He's her favorite brother."

"I didn't know that." Mark responded and Scorpius turned his attention back to Mark, wondering exactly how much Lily even told the man she was willing to bring home to meet her parents.

"How long have you and Lily been dating?" Scorpius asked but Mark only laughed as he shrugged.

"Oh, you know. It hasn't been all that long."

"She invited you here." Scorpius responded.

"It doesn't mean anything." Mark answered and Scorpius rose to his feet as he neared the table and sat across from Mark. He glanced towards the house for only a moment, but long enough to see Albus in the window, probably watching the exchange between him and Mark.

"It means something." Scorpius said, hoping to get Mark to say more.

"Well, maybe to her."

Scorpius rose an eyebrow as he watched Mark. He wasn't quite sure how to interpret Mark's comments, but was quickly becoming adverse to his attachment to Lily, if such an attachment even existed.

"Not to you?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, come on," Mark laughed as he shook his head and looked at Scorpius. He managed to smile and laugh as well, following the response he knew Mark expected out of him. "You know how it is with girls."

"Oh yeah," Scorpius nodded and laughed, though he still held onto the feeling that Mark was nothing like the type of man the Lily Scorpius held in his memories deserved.

"Besides, it's just one weekend." Mark shrugged as he lifted his arms up and stretched before he looked around at the scenery. "One weekend I'm here, the next I'm somewhere else."

"With another girl?" Scorpius finally asked the question that had been biting him since Mark approached him.

"Well, yeah. You can't expected one girl to get the job done. Especially with Lily." Mark exclaimed before he leaned over the table towards Scorpius. "Between you and me, she's not really what you'd expect of her. She barely lets me touch her before she starts with the excuses."

"Really?" Scorpius replied, but Mark failed to detect the sarcasm in his voice. Scorpius leaned back and while Mark was nodding and laughing, Scorpius easily reached out to land a punch in his jaw. "And you're wondering why she wouldn't do anything with a dog like you?" Scorpius asked before he stood from his seat and peered up at the house.

While Mark started coughing, he reached up to touch his mouth, finding blood, but Scorpius was far more concerned with Lily who was already halfway out the door. Albus followed, as did their parents.

"What the hell, Scorpius!" Lily's voice seemed to echo, even in the wide open field. Scorpius, leaving Mark behind, neared her but was shaking out his hand willing the pain to fade enough for him to focus on Lily and the ensuing argument.

"He's cheating on you," Scorpius replied sharply as Lily approached him, wand drawn. Albus stopped, knowing better to get between the two. Ginny had tried to, but Harry held her back, seeing something in the pair that Ginny couldn't. "Hex me if you want, Lily, he's still cheating on you."

"Just because you're jealous, doesn't mean you can make up stories and punch my boyfriend, Malfoy." Lily spat back at him, but Scorpius remained unaffected by the majority of the comment. Albus knew the use of his last name had stung, though.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Scorpius asked before he looked down at his hand, concerned his knuckles were already starting to swell from the impact. "I've never lied to you, Lily. Ever. And I've known you since you were nine. Remember that? You asked me to tell you about the House at Hogwarts because James followed you around the house and convinced you that if you were in Slytherin, your parents would send you away."

Lily faltered for a moment as she started to lower her wand, but she quickly regained control.

"You wanted to know the truth, and Albus was too nice to really explain in, and James was just as much of an ass then as he is now. And then in your second year, you got detention for roaming the castle in the middle of the night, and I went up to the owlery and intercepted the letter after McGonagall sent it so your parents never found out."

Albus was smiling as he watched Scorpius and Lily, and Harry was close to smiling as well, though Ginny was mostly focused on the wand still held up between them.

"And you cried the night that stupid kid Shawn Thomas told you that he didn't want to go to the ball with you and went with Rose instead. And I blew off my date to break into the Ravenclaw Tower and sit in the Common Room with you. That was the first time I ever saw you cry." Scorpius' voice fell slightly as he turned away from Lily's eyes. He knew she was affected by the memories as well, but she was far too stubborn to allow it to show.

"Do you have a point?" Lily demanded and Scorpius looked up at her again, but his eyes had shifted to the warm ones she'd known her entire life.

"I would do anything for you, Lily. You know that. I would've followed you to France, but you were so mad at me then that I didn't even know how talk to you about it. Every time you've asked me to do something, I've done it. No matter how insane, or how much trouble I was going to get into, I did everything you've ever asked me to do. I would do anything for you, but you won't let me. And that's a hell of a lot more than this moron!" Scorpius motioned to Mark. "Who is cheating on you, by the way, in case you were interested in knowing that at all. He admitted it to me, and if you want some truth serum, that can be arranged, because we all know how untrustworthy you think I am."

"I never said that." Lily said, her voice much softer than it had been to him since he arrived at the Potter home. She slowly lowered her wand, but neither stepped towards one another.

"You didn't have to." Scorpius replied. "You didn't trust me enough to love you, when that was all I've ever wanted. You ran away before I could. I've never wanted anything more than I wanted you, and no matter what I did, I never got you. I got close but…" Scorpius stopped as he stepped back from Lily and turned away from her gaze. "I was never really enough, was I?"

By the time Scorpius had enough courage or confidence, he wasn't sure which, to peer up at Lily again, she had turned away from him. With Lily remaining silent, there was nothing left to be said, and as such, Scorpius turned away from Lily and passed Albus and his parents without so much a glance in their direction.


	13. Chapter 13

He took comfort in Mark's quick removal from the house, but Scorpius' heart remained in turmoil as he lay awake in James' bed. Sarah and Albus occupied his bedroom, and with James not present in the house, it made sense to allow Scorpius to use a bed rather than the too short couch. He knew Lily was only one room over, with only a wall separating them, but Scorpius was surprisingly not tempted to see her.

He had had his share of arguments with her in the past, but the day he experienced was nothing like anything he'd experienced in the past. Lily had never intentionally hurt him before, but during dinner she'd made comments about the things Scorpius was most sensitive towards. She made harsh, biting comments about the things she knew would hurt Scorpius the most.

As he lay awake, he battled those remarks and seemed to regret his past with Rose even more than before, despite the fact he didn't think that had been remotely possible. He also went over every memory he had with Lily, picking apart every little thing he had done, knowing that things might've been radically differently if he had said something different at some point in time, or perhaps even better, said nothing at all.

He drew in a shaky breath as he started to turn in his bed, but he paused when he heard the doorknob starting to rattle. With narrowed eyes, Scorpius watched the door slowly creak open, expecting Albus to appear in the doorway, but instead found a tear stained Lily. On instinct, Scorpius wanted to leap towards her and kiss the tears away, but instead he only sat up on the bed. Without saying anything, he watched as Lily tentatively stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

She had her bottom lip between her teeth as she peered at Scorpius, before she moved to sit at James' desk, across the room from the bed. After their many years together and apart as friends and lovers, she was uncomfortable with the sudden distance between them, and Scorpius felt the same.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius asked softly, his voice not nearly as biting as she knew she deserved.

"I'm sorry." Lily managed to say, but her breath was uneven, and her voice, broken. He noticed how the two simple words were enough to evoke a wave of tears from her eyes, surprising him since he had always known Lily to hold back her tears, fearing they would be viewed as a weakness within her.

"For what, exactly?"

"I was so mad at you." Lily started, but paused as she tried to regain enough breath to speak. Scorpius watched her struggle for a moment, before he held his arm out to her. She eyed his outstretched hand as she weighed their current predicament against the familiarity his closeness would undoubtedly bring. After only a moment's consideration, Lily rose to her feet and stepped forward, putting her hand in his before she sat beside him on the bed, though space between them still existed.

"For what?"

"I don't know." Lily shook her head as she looked down at the ground. "For everything. For leaving, and for coming back, and for letting me leave."

Scorpius only stared at her for a moment, watching the tears slowly roll down her cheek, though they were slowly beginning to stop. In the silence, Lily turned towards him, wanting him to either push her away or to comfort her. She wanted to know in definite terms where she had left their relationship, even if worse than where it had been previously.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back in London?" Scorpius asked and Lily started to turn away, but Scorpius reached for her cheek, keeping her eyes on his.

"I tried." Lily responded. "I wrote you so many letters, but I could never send them. I was mad at you, but I didn't know why. But… I think I was mostly mad because I had you for me for just a few nights a year, sometimes more, and you made me feel so loved, and so wonderful, and I knew that I wanted more, but I gave it up. I walked away from you, and by the time that I realized those few nights were so much better than none at all, it was too late."

"It was never too late, Lily." Scorpius responded softly as he moved closer to her and reached for her waist, his arm almost wrapping around her. "We might've almost never been together, but I was always, completely yours all the time. I miss you all the time, Lily. I'm so disappointed in the morning when you're not there. You have no idea how much I miss that morning when you were in my arms. When I could love you, and you loved me, and that was everything I've ever wanted, Lily."

A few more tears had fallen from her eyes as she reached for him, almost scared he would turn her away, but he felt her body relax as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She buried her face in his neck as she tightened her grip around his neck. He was hesitant, but eventually pressed his lips to her temple and took in the sweet smell of her hair.

"I still love you." Lily managed between ragged breaths, but Scorpius stroked her hair and back as he slowly leaned back and lowered Lily beside him.

"I love you," He whispered back to her as he wiped the remnants of her tears from her cheeks. Lily smiled at him as she slowly moved closer to him, still hesitant about their intimacy after the day they'd shared. She sensed he felt the same way, and so as they moved closer to one another, neither dared to press their lips together.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Lily said softly as she stared into Scorpius' eyes. "About Rose. I don't know why I wanted to hurt you so badly."

Scorpius said nothing, but the faint smile across his lips was all Lily had really needed. Over the years, they had learned all the little things that made each other smile and warm from the inside out, but they'd also learned the things that seemed to poke holes straight through their hearts. That night, Scorpius knew Lily was taking those shots at him, and she was doing it on purpose.

In the silence, Lily and Scorpius only stared at each other, but unsure of their place in one another's presence. It was an odd and new experience, for never had the two been so misplaced around the other. There had been times when Lily had been angry with Scorpius, but they had never reached the place they found themselves in now. In some minuscule way, Scorpius took comfort in the idea that there were still uncharted waters in the deep romance between them. It made him feel as though they had not yet discovered everything about one another just yet.

"Will you stay for only tomorrow?" Lily asked softly. She did not need to speak loudly in the dead silence for Scorpius to hear her.

"Yes," Scorpius answered. "We have work after tomorrow."

"Sarah too?"

"Yeah," Scorpius nodded slightly against the pillow, but his eyes shifted downward as he felt Lily's fingertips gently touching his hands. The gesture, however small felt like much larger to Scorpius than it should have. It felt like the first time all over again. The similarities to their current position and the past when they had first started exploring their physical relationship were certainly detectable.

Like in the past, they were hesitant and tentative towards one another, and for the same reason: their nervousness. Of course, the nerves had been brought on for an entirely different reason, but it was still there. Again, they were lost in the darkness and solitude of the late night and early morning, which made their encounter feel all the more forbidden. Both knew, however, the forbidden nature of their relationship had long since disappeared.

As they matured, they were no longer bound to Hogwarts' curfew, nor were they any longer concerned for what their relationship meant in terms of their individual relationships with Albus. They knew their situation was rare in the fact that Albus was quite capable of separating the Scorpius who was his closest and oldest friend and the one that was his baby sister's romantic interest. Similarly, he separated his innocent baby sister from his best friend's love interest. They knew that had they been anyone else, or had Albus been less understanding and open to the arrangement, they might've never found one another or worse. It had once been an all too real possibility that they would know exactly what they were forced to leave untouched in order to preserve their respective relationships with Albus. Both knew how fortunate they were. It was just another reason on Scorpius' list that Albus was a far better man than himself.

"Will you be going in the field soon?" Lily asked gently. She was not prying into Scorpius' life, and he could tell. She was simply curious.

"Probably not. I'm still recovering."

"Did you get hit?" Lily could not hide the concern in her voice, but it was unnecessary for her to do so anyway. Instead of responding, Scorpius wrapped his hand around Lily's delicate wrist and guided her hand beneath the hem of his shirt. He pressed her fingers against his middle, only an inch above his waist, where she could feel a raised scar on his once flawless skin. Both knew, however, that it had been years since his skin had been so flawless, so perfect. After a few years in his line of work, it was inevitable to be physically marked.

"Will it heal?" Lily asked as she moved her fingers along the long scar without Scorpius' guidance. She realized it started an inch above his waist but continued for several inches and curved towards his side.

"Sarah says no. It's actually much better now. She's been taking care of it."

"You trust her." Lily commented and Scorpius nodded.

"She's a trained nurse, but she's far more talented than half the Healers there."

"But you trust her with Albus." Lily explained what she meant and Scorpius was slower to respond.

"Yes." Scorpius responded after a brief moment and Lily only nodded.

"I'm afraid I haven't taken the time to actually talk to her like I should have." Lily admitted but Scorpius' reassuring smile made her feel less guilty.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't always so receptive of her, but she hasn't held that against me yet."

"Why weren't you?"

"I was mad and I was jealous because our whole lives I was always the one who had that one person who could always make me feel better no matter what happened, and for the first time, Albus had that person and I didn't." Scorpius answered and Lily averted her eyes as she tried to burry herself in the pillow and mattress, but still remained as close to Scorpius as she was before.

"And now?" Lily asked.

"Sarah's sweet and she can stand to put up with me, and I know I haven't been exactly pleasant in the last few months." Scorpius answered honestly and managed to draw a smile and soft laugh from Lily's lips. In the quiet of the night, Scorpius only treasured the sound of her laugh even more than before.


	14. Chapter 14

Scorpius had long since fallen asleep, but Lily still remain awake and watching him. His hand was still on her waist, for throughout the night, the two had never crossed the very thin line between them. They had not kissed, and had barely touched one another, but the lack of physical interaction was hardly noticed. For hours they had simply talked, and it reminded both of a much simply time when they had snuck away from their friends and found solitude in the old wing of Hogwarts, most which still remained ruins.

As she watched him, she listened to his steady heartbeat and felt his long breaths against her skin. She loved the way his soft blonde curls fell over his forehead messily instead of neatly arranged as they usually were. He felt so relaxed beside her, that it was no wonder he slept so soundly. She, however, was kept up by her own thoughts that never seemed to end. She was no longer as distressed as she had been the night before, for Scorpius was always the person to calm her, but she could nothing to completely stop the thoughts lingering in her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sunlight slowly starting to creep through the crack of the heavy drapes. Knowing the rest of the house would be waking soon, Lily carefully moved Scorpius' hand from her waist before she slipped out of the bed. "Good night, Scorpius." She whispered to him before she pressed her lips ever so gently against his cheek. She had wanted to badly to linger in his arms for just a moment longer and take in the very smell of him, but she restrained herself long enough to leave the room and slowly close the door behind her.

She took small steps away from the room, her eyes casted to the ground as she took in deep breaths, finding herself still slightly unstable, though not nearly as bad as the night before. As she peered up, however, she found Albus staring at her, his doorknob in one hand, and two steaming mugs in the other, his eyebrow raised.

"What?" She demanded and Albus narrowed his eyes at her.

"Did you two-"

"No," She answered strongly before she took longer steps down the hallway to reach her bedroom quicker. Albus had no reason not to believe her, but found himself doubting the truth of her answer anyway. Before anything else, however, Lily quickly entered her bedroom and pulled the door shut, leaving Albus alone in the hall. Shaking his head, he pushed his own bedroom door open and all thoughts of Lily and Scorpius were quickly discarded as he watched Sarah lying in his bed, a sweet smile across her lips.

"That smells good." Sarah said and Albus let out a soft chuckle as he neared her and with his free hand, he separated the mugs and handed one to her.

"Made it myself." He told her proudly and she laughed as she sat up and let Albus sit beside her.

"Does Scorpius usually make the morning beverages?"

"No," Albus answered with a shake of his head, but Sarah narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Yes." Sarah only laughed as she pressed her lips against Albus' and lingered there for a moment.

"Good morning." She told him and he laughed as he tried to steal a second kiss, but she reattached her lips to the rim of the mug.

"Good morning to you." He replied before doing the same. After taking a sip, he set his mug to the side on his desk, before he turned to face her more fully. "I'm sorry this weekend has turned out to be much more than I thought it would. I honestly don't let girlfriends experience the entire Scorpius-Lily thing until much further into the relationship."

Sarah only giggled as she turned to him, smiling brighter than before. She reached out and cup his cheek before she took another sip from the mug.

"They're a lot like James," Albus continued when she said nothing. "Except he's a lot worse. I wouldn't introduce him to any girl if I could."

"Really?" Sarah questioned and Albus only shrugged.

"Well, I'd have to be pretty sure about her before I did."

"Why's that?" Sarah asked as she moved closer to him. Albus took the mug from her hands and set it beside his own, before he placed his hands on her waist and leaned in to press their foreheads together.

"He's been known to steal the occasional girlfriend." Albus explained but Sarah only laughed before she kissed him gently.

"I don't think you have anything to be concerned with then." Sarah's comment sounds whispered between their lips, but Albus had heard her perfectly and kissed her back with a bit more enthusiasm at her words.

**X**

The breakfast table remained mostly quiet, everybody wrapped up in something other than the others around them, but the silence was comfortable rather than the tense silence that had been around the house recently. Ginny and Harry were on each end of the table with Albus and Sarah on one side and Scorpius and Lily on the other. As they took their seats, Harry and Ginny eyed them carefully but it took only a few moments to see their relationship was far closer to what it had been previously. With Mark's absence, it seemed everything in the home had changed.

Throughout breakfast, Albus and Sarah laughed and giggled as they unknowingly flirted while sharing food and taking in each other as much as they could. His parents smiled at how genuinely happy Sarah had made Albus, but they had expected as much when they heard of her visit with Scorpius alongside them. For all the things Scorpius and Lily might've been through, neither Harry nor Ginny doubted Scorpius as a true friend to Albus. If Sarah was a woman who had no business with Albus, both were certain Scorpius would have done something to point it out to Albus or find some other way to intervene. Scorpius had always been the one to save Albus from himself.

"Any plans today?" Harry finally asked as he folded the newspaper and peered across the table, his eyes stopping on everyone except Ginny.

"There are some new stores in the village I want to see." Lily said as she peered up at Sarah. "You should come. We have some girl time."

Scorpius and Albus looked at one another, but Lily nudged Scorpius' foot under the table. With only a slight smile on his lips, Scorpius turned away from Albus and returned his attention to his food while Albus narrowed his eyes at Scorpius, before turning to Lily.

"Yeah, I would like that." Sarah answered with a laugh and a bright smile.

"Good, you two do that, and we'll wander around until you're done, then." Scorpius decided and Lily turned to him.

"Try not to get into too much trouble."

"I'll add that to my list of things to do." Scorpius answered as they each returned to their meals, both completely aware they had become the center of attention, however; both were rather talented at pretending nothing had changed. With a smile, Albus turned to Sarah and began to tell her about the village, a small nearby town filled with many shops. Harry and Ginny peered at one another, both smiling before Ginny continued reading her magazine while Harry turned to the next page of the newspaper. Tough nobody said the words aloud, it was clear to everyone at the table that Scorpius and Lily had somehow returned to one another's favor over the course of one night.

Nobody knew how it happened, nor was anyone other than Albus so interested, but everyone was mutually glad. Harry had always liked young Scorpius as Albus' friend and even as Lily's boyfriend. As such, Ginny always had as well. Though neither would ever admit it, it was the truth to say that should Lily decided to spend her life with anyone other than Scorpius, Harry and Ginny would be as supportive as they could and always worry for her heart. With Scorpius, however, neither would be nearly as concerned.


	15. Chapter 15

As Sarah and Albus walked slowly along the cobblestone pathways of the village, Lily and Scorpius walked side by side, trailing behind until they were finally ready to spilt ways. Lily turned to look up at Scorpius and he returned to glance until she smiled and looked away.

"We do need to talk, Lily." Scorpius finally said, but she didn't respond. There was no need to agree, for he knew she had been thinking the same thing.

"I want us to be together, Scorpius." Lily said simply as she looked up at him, and the two stopped walking, letting Albus and Sarah get away from them. "I'm in London now, and it's easier for us. We haven't had a real relationship."

"Well, we have but…" Scorpius replied and trailed off.

"This time we'll be more mature." Lily responded and Scorpius nodded in agreement. "And it'll be like the first time." She said softly, her eyes seeming to light up at the prospect. Scorpius smiled at her, finding relief as he recognized the Lily before him as the one who had stolen his heart.

"So you want us to progress in the relationship like any first relationship?" Scorpius clarified and Lily nodded as she nibbled on her bottom lip. "Like nervous first dates and bringing you the wrong flowers and missing your lips on the first kiss?"

Lily only laughed as she stepped towards Scorpius and reached out to touch his chest. He beamed down at her, taking in the warmth she radiated and created within him. "Well, we can still use our knowledge of each other to guide us, but yes, something like that." She answered and Scorpius nodded in understanding.

"So you won't be spending the night any time soon?"

"No," Lily shook her head and Scorpius nodded again. "Will that be a problem?"

"Of course not," He answered as he offered his arm to her. She wrapped her arm around his as the two continued down the pathway. "You're always well worth the wait, Lily."

"Flattery already?" She asked teasingly as they neared Albus and Sarah who stood on the corner watching the pair near them. As they did, Lily released Scorpius' arm and stepped towards Sarah who released Albus' hand. The two turned to walk away from the men, but Scorpius' voice paused them.

"Every guy does that in hopes of getting a first date with that very beautiful woman." Scorpius responded and Lily turned back to him.

"Well, keep hoping, Scorpius."

"Will do." He replied and Lily turned away and continued with Sarah once more. Scorpius laughed and shook his head at the exciting woman Lily was, but he paused and narrowed his eyes at Albus' stare.

"What happened last night?" he asked immediately and Scorpius sighed as they turned to the other direction Lily and Sarah had gone in. "I saw her leave your room this morning."

"It's not what you think," Scorpius responded.

"So you two didn't do anything?"

"We didn't even kiss." Scorpius answered, earning an odd stare from Albus.

"You didn't even kiss her?" Albus repeated and Scorpius nodded. "What exactly were you doing with a woman in your bed all night then?"

"We talked." Scorpius answered with a shrug as they continued down the pathway with no real destination in mind. "She apologized and she cried and we laughed. We decided to restart our relationship from the beginning. Have a first date and treat everything like the first."

Albus nodded as he turned to face forward. "I think that's nice."

"Yeah, me too." Scorpius agreed and the two men laughed.

**X**

Lily and Sarah walked through the many shops, stopping whenever something caught their eye. Lily was talented at small talk and appearing the way she wanted to, something Sarah was quick to catch onto. Though not of all Lily's words could always be taken at face value, Sarah found it became easier to be in Lily's presence when she was so easy to talk to and quickly, the two women were talking easily with one another.

"Can I ask you a question about Scorpius?" Sarah asked as the pair walked down a row of clothes at a small boutique. Lily peered up at Sarah for a moment as she wondered what anyone would want to know about Scorpius which the question could not be directed to Scorpius himself, or at least Albus.

"Yes." Lily answered as she peered down at the clothes.

"Why is he so…" Sarah started but trailed off and slowly peered up at Lily with uncertain narrowed eyes.

"Tense?"

"No." Sarah shook her head.

"Weird? He gets that from Al." Lily responded and Sarah laughed as she shook her head.

"No, not that."

"Careful." Lily said simply as she looked away from Sarah and continued to walk slowly through the small shop.

"Yes." Sarah nodded, her eyes still on Lily, though Lily did not look back. A moment of silence passed between them before Lily finally paused and turned back to her.

"I don't know." Lily said as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders slightly. To Sarah, she sounded completely believable. If Lily had been nothing more than Albus' younger sister, Sarah would've believed her without a second thought. It was clear, however, that Lily was something entirely different to Scorpius, and as such, Sarah knew the words were a lie even if she could not detect it.

Sarah only nodded as she turned away from Lily, allowing the three to have their secrets, knowing her few months with Albus did not compare to the years he'd spent with Scorpius, nor did it compare to the years Scorpius and Lily had spent together. In that aspect, Sarah felt very much like an outsider to Albus' world. She had known he was reclusive, but she had not expected to enter a world over ten years in the making. She had no idea would be the newest addition into Albus' life by a large margin.

"Does Albus have any other friends? Other than Scorpius?" Sarah finally asked and Lily stopped everything to turn to her.

"Albus and Scorpius see the world in black and white. Everyone else likes shades of grey to classify things. People. Sometimes people have really good friends and people who they see everyone once in a while, and then there are people who are only good for last minute Friday night plans."

"They don't have that, do they?" Sarah asked and Lily shook her head.

"In their mind, if a person could do all those things with them, then they're not a very reliable person for a friend. At first, it was as though they were just shy." Lily laughed as she turned and continued walking, but Sarah could tell Lily was focused on nothing but Albus and Scorpius. "They just preferred each other's company because it was familiar, but even as they got older they never really branched away from each other. They didn't even make friends who were even remotely capable of breaking into their exclusive friendship. And when they were adult, their black and white view of the world was clear."

"They only have each other." Sarah commented and Lily nodded.

"In some ways, it's nice." Lily said light heartedly as she turned to Sarah with a forced smile. "It's terrible when you date a guy and he's got fifteen friends and suddenly you've got to remember everyone's name and birthday."

Sarah let out a soft laugh as she nodded as though in agreement. The two had finished browsing the store and were making their way towards the exit.

"You can't feel bad for Albus because he only has one friend." Lily finally said the words outright, her straightforwardness almost more than Sarah could handle. "It seems weird to most people, because everyone else likes having a lot people to go to. But you have to understand that it's not the same for them. Scorpius knows when Albus likes a girl before Al knows himself. And AL knows when Scorpius is sick after five minutes of being in the same room with him. They're like an old married couple who fight less and genuinely enjoy each other's company."

"You've had this conversation before, haven't you?" Sarah asked and Lily nodded.

"A lot of girls want to take Albus out to meet new people and find this new social scene because they think he doesn't know how to and as a result he has only Scorpius. But it's nothing like that at all. If you try to convince him that he'll be better off with other friends, he'll tell Scorpius and Scorpius will tell him that if you bring up the subject again, then he should break up with you within the week."

"You know everything about them." Sarah commented but Lily shook her head. For a moment it was silent as the two walked down the pathway, each holding their own shopping bags.

"It's not really impressive to know your brother."

"It's impressive to know them both as well as you do."

"It's the hazards of having relationships with people everyone tells you not to be with." Lily answered but Sarah shook her head. In turn, Lily narrowed her eyes at her.

"Everyone told you to date him."

"How did you know that?" Lily asked, curiously.

"It's the way your parents look at him. Compared to how they looked at Mark. They way they talked to him. They way your mother treats him like a son. Even your father does it, though it less obvious. I know that has something to do with Albus, but it has something to do with you too."

"Why are you a nurse?" Lily asked simply and Sarah only laughed.

"I like to help people."

"You should've been an agent. You're better than Albus and Scorpius combined at reading people. They're just good at pointing wands around."

"Just pointing wands around?" A male's voice repeated and Sarah quickly turned around, becoming very red from embarrassment as she stared at Albus and Scorpius. They, however, were only grinning as they eyed the women with narrowed eyes. Lily slowly turned back to them, and locked eyes with Scorpius easily, her lips turning into the smallest of smiles.

"What else do you do, then?" Lily challenged and Scorpius took a step towards her.

"That's classified."

"Then I will stick to my original comment." She replied and Scorpius turned to Albus, almost in disbelief, before Albus only let out his laughter. He turned away from Scorpius to put his arm around Sarah, who was still blushing even as Albus pressed his lips to her forehead. Compared to Albus and Sarah, Scorpius and Lily appeared like a couple who did not belong together, but Albus knew better than to take Lily and Scorpius at face value.

Even with their narrowed eyes and distance between each other, Albus knew there was something between Scorpius and Lily that could not be replicated. Not by either of them with anyone else. Albus even doubted the same essence existed between himself and Sarah. Of course, he cared deeply for Sarah as he was sure she cared for him, but part of him had long ago come to terms that he would never have the same feeling Scorpius had carried for years.

"Where would you two like to go to lunch?" Scorpius asked finally as he offered his arm to Lily, who quickly wrapped her arm though his and leaned her head against his strong arm.

"What is there?" Sarah asked softly as she peered up at Albus, still slightly embarrassed and could not face Scorpius, even if the words had been Lily's.

"There's a nice restaurant and there's a small café. There's a sandwich place, too." Albus answered as he glanced down the pathway before them, looking in each direction as he tried to recall all the stores.

"Sandwiches sound fine." Sarah answered and Albus nodded.

"You two go there." Lily told them as she pulled on Scorpius' arm in the other direction. "We'll meet you guys at the house."

"Ok." Albus said simply, deciding it had become another point in time where a line had been carefully drawn between the three. Though at time it proved difficult, Albus knew his place as Scorpius' friend and as Lily's brother and had to remain comfortably in those areas while they too found their places as each other's significant other as well as their place in Albus' life. It was a delicate balance, but one the three had learned to dance through with practiced ease after the many years.

Albus and Sarah turned down the corner and headed towards the small sandwich store while Scorpius simply followed Lily to wherever she led him. It hardly mattered where she took him, for he would follow her anywhere. Of course, they had agreed they were to treat their relationship as new, but bother knew some things could not be changed no matter how much pretending either did. In some ways, Lily's touch did feel all new and exciting to Scorpius, but he still had such passion for her that could not be said for most new relationships.

"I'm glad the village is still small." Scorpius commented simply as he peered around at the old brick buildings and the sky above them. Unlike many places, the village remained what it had been many years ago. Where other places had been built up and reformed, the village still remained small and cozy. It was not new but that was what made it all the more charming.

"It's beautiful here." Lily agreed as she turned up at Scorpius. He smiled at her for a moment before he peered up as they continued to walk.

"Can I ask you something?" Scorpius asked, and Lily paused for a moment before she nodded and looked at him again. She wasn't sure why he would ask such a question, considering she had never deliberately lied to him, and had already apologized for withholding information.

"Of course."

"Why did you transfer back to London? I would be…" Scorpius trailed off as he slowed to a stop and looked down to Lily. "I want to think, I guess you could say, that you wanted us to be together, for real. To eliminate one of the insane excuses we had for so long, except that you had told me that you had basically given up on us. That the distance was too much, which I understood, but if that had been the reason you came back, then you would've told me. You wouldn't have been here with some other guy."

Lily remained quiet for a moment as she stared at Scorpius, knowing full well all she had to say was that she did not want to tell him. Without questions, Scorpius would smile, nod, and take her arm, and the two would continue down the path like nothing had happened. While she could do so, Lily watched the flash in Scorpius' eyes. She recognized it immediately, for it had been there all those years ago when he finally confided in her that she had fascinated him. It was the wondering.

"I have a list of reasons," Lily started. "But ultimately, I felt like I had been foolish to go to France at all because of something you did. And since I had effectively cut off our contact, there was no reason left to be in France, not that those reasons had ever been there before. And the museum in London is much nicer. There's a lot more equipment and the staff is far more qualified, and they offered me the position as head of the department."

"You're head of the department?" Scorpius repeated, his face lighting up as though he had heard anything else she had said. With a laugh, Lily only nodded and accepting Scorpius hug, wrapping her arms around his neck in response. "Head of which department?"

"Ancient Runes." Lily answered with a laugh as Scorpius released her. "But I consult the Codes department about any ciphers they can't crack just yet. And I'm always eligible to go out in the field as a supervisor, but if I were in the field, I'd want to be right there with them pulling history out of meaningless rocks and markings."

"Because you're so passionate." Scorpius responded and Lily blushed slightly as his comment.

"I love my work."

"I know you do."


	16. Chapter 16

Scorpius drew in a deep breath as he stared at himself in the mirror in the hallway of his apartment. He kept reaching up to touch his hair and occasionally run his hand through it as though his locks did not inevitably fall into the small places once more anyway.

"Are you nervous or something?" Albus sighed from the front room and Scorpius turned to glare at him, but Albus was not looking and instead his attention was on Sarah beside him.

"Yes, is that ok with you?" Scorpius replied sharply and Albus rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

"Why? You've been on tons of dates with Lily." Albus responded simply but Scorpius only sighed as he deserted the mirror and moved into the front room. Instead of sitting, he continued into the nearby kitchen, Sarah following behind him.

"It'll be fine." Sarah assured him as she stepped towards him and adjusted the collar on his shirt. "And you look very handsome."

"Thank you." Scorpius replied before sending a look towards Albus. "That's very helpful."

"We all know it's going to be fine." Albus replied to Scorpius' comment. "You're just nervous now because it's a real first date instead sneaking around the castle and worrying my dad is going to show up around the next corner or something. The minute you see her, you'll be fine. It's just getting there that's got you all on edge."

"That is exactly what I needed to hear, Albus, thank you. I really needed somebody to point out the very logically reasoning to how I feel at the moment. Maybe Sarah would like to know what we did the few hours before your date."

As Sarah turned to Albus, she curiously narrowed her eyes at his suddenly straight and almost pale face.

"I will take your silence as support," Scorpius called back and Albus only cleared his throat. Moments later, Albus appeared in the doorframe leading into the kitchen and Scorpius turned back to him.

"Are you taking flowers?"

"Sent them to the Museum earlier today." Scorpius answered and Albus only nodded while Scorpius took a sip of water from the glass Sarah offered him.

"That's good." Albus commented and Scorpius nodded as he peered towards him, enjoying Albus' sudden change in attitude. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know." Scorpius answered as he looked to Albus. "She wanted to decide everything."

"That does sound very much like Lily." Albus replied as he narrowed his eyes at Scorpius.

"Why didn't you just go to dinner?" Sarah asked curiously.

"We've done that date a hundred times." Scorpius answered and Sarah nodded slowly.

"So how is it the first date?" She asked and Scorpius laughed.

"Feels a lot like a first date to me." He commented simply as he stretched his shoulders and drew in a deep breath. Without looking to either Albus or Sarah, he left the kitchen and headed towards the front door. "I want you both out before I get back." He called out as he opened the door.

"Sarah's place is being remodeled, remember?" Albus called back and Scorpius turned back in the doorway.

"Then go to yours."

"This is a lot nicer than mine."

"Well, when Sarah dates me, she can stay." Scorpius replied and Albus' face remained straight though Sarah laughed at the comment. Before Albus could respond, Scorpius had left the apartment and shut the door behind him.

**X**

As nervous as Scorpius was, he certainly felt convinced he was minutes away from a first date, but as Lily opened the door to her apartment and smiled at him, every last worry in Scorpius' mind had quickly faded. Without any words, Lily pushed the door open further and stepped to the side, letting Scorpius in.

"I'll give you the tour." She told him with a laugh as she shut the door behind him.

"I'd like that." Scorpius replied as she moved to his side and entangled their fingers. With Lily in the lead, Scorpius followed, looking into each of the rooms she led him to. She first showed him the kitchen and the adjoining dining room before she led him towards the peaceful gathering room. He recognized the majority of the furniture from where she had stayed years ago before her move to France.

"And that is my bedroom." Lily concluded as she motioned to the shut door at the end of the hallway.

"I only get to see the door?" Scorpius teased and Lily only laughed as she squeezed his hand.

"On a first date you're lucky to get a tour at all." She replied and Scorpius nodded in agreement as he followed her back to the main rooms of the apartment.

"So where are we headed to for our date, then?" Scorpius asked.

"We're already there." Lily answered as she turned back to him, her lips curled into a mischievous smile. "I made dinner and I want you to try it."

"You're not going to poison me, are you?" Scorpius asked as he followed Lily into the dining room, but she stopped and turned back to him with narrowed eyes. He would've believed he'd made her mad if it weren't for her smile giving her away.

"No," She replied with narrowed eyes before she lifted a hand and flicked her wrist. Without her watching, the table instantly set its self for two and the flowers Scorpius had sent her earlier in the day repositioned themselves in the center of the table. "I've been working on my cooking for a long time."

"I hope you got better." Scorpius commented, half jokingly and half out of concern for his own health. Though he would do anything Lily asked of him, he could not help but remember a time Lily's cooking had caused quite a problem from him and Albus.

"I did." Lily replied defensively as she put the plates of food on the table and sat beside him. Without any other reassurances, Scorpius served himself and under Lily's scrutinizing eyes, he took a bite. "Well?"

"It's good." Scorpius answered as he turned her, his smile genuine and eyes shining. "It's a lot better than I expected."

Lily beamed as she served herself and the two continued to eat beside one another. Though nobody else was present at the table, they kept their touches beneath the table. First, Lily trailed her fingertips along his leg until he reached for her hand and for a moment simply held her fingers in his.

As Scorpius finished he turned in his seat to face Lily, who continued to face forward as she finished her meal. Even with Scorpius' gaze, she continued allowing him only her free hand to hold in both of his. "Is there a reason you're so quiet?" Lily finally asked and Scorpius only laughed.

"You look beautiful tonight." He told her softly and Lily slowly turned to him, letting him take both her hands. For a moment he held them in his hands while his eyes held hers. Once the moment passed, he lifted one hand to stroke her cheek softly before he pushed a lock of hair to the back of her ear. "You always look beautiful to me."

Lily lowered her eyes from his but not before Scorpius caught a glimpse of the blush across her cheeks. He took comfort in the idea that he could still embarrass her knowing that such an ability often was reserved for new, and, perhaps more importantly, normal couples, neither of which described the relationship between him and Lily. He was glad to know at least some part of their relationship could feel new and normal when very little else did so.

"I miss this." Lily admitted as she finally raised her eyes to meet his. "Feeling unsure and nervous even though everything is fine." She explained and Scorpius only smiled at her. Though he knew exactly how he'd felt while talking to Albus and Sarah before he left to met her, he hadn't been able to exactly put it into words, much less do so in the eloquent manner Lily could.

"Why do miss that?" Scorpius asked softly as he reached to touch her cheek again and Lily leaned into his touch.

"It's thrilling in its own way." Lily answered softly as she laced her fingers with his before she stood from her seat and started to lead Scorpius away from the table. Scorpius followed, watching how her dark red curls swayed along her back and noting the curve of her side he hadn't touched in what seemed like an eternity.

"No dessert?" Scorpius teased as they entered the room behind the front room. Lily smiled as she turned back to him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"I didn't say that." She told him simply and he narrowed his eyes at her before taking a seat on the couch where Lily motioned for him to sit.

"Then what exactly did you have in mind?" He asked curiously but Lily only giggled as she looked down at him. Scorpius let his eyes wander from her eyes to the soft curls in her red hair. He remembered that her hair had been in curls while at Hogwarts but soon after her hair had been perfectly straight. Something told him her hair naturally held a few curls and that the Lily before him was more herself than she had been in years. He also admired the way her emerald green dress tugged around her body perfectly and fell gracefully to her knees. It was high enough to drive him crazy but lower enough for him to truly enjoy it.

"That's the dress you wore the night we danced in the astronomy tower." He commented in the silence as he looked up to meet her eyes. Smiling, Lily nodded at him, taking a moment to simply marvel at his memory.

"How did you remember that?" She asked as she sat beside him, doing her best to focus on his eyes instead on his hand slowly tracing her shoulder.

"You remembered." He replied and Lily blushed again. She tried to look away, but Scorpius used his free hand to hold her chin, effectively keep her eyes on his. Though he leaned forward, he was careful not to close the space between them, finding that he rather enjoyed the dance before the inevitable kiss.

"I bought this dress for Shawn Thomas to wear to the ball." Lily admitted and Scorpius nodded in agreement. "But it ended up meaning a lot more between us than anything else." Scorpius smiled as he slowly moved his fingers along her chin, enjoying the smooth perfect skin Lily's occupation allowed her to retain. Though he did not understand it, Lily seemed to marvel at the scars that marked his body, always claiming that the imperfections were what made him so real and as a result, so perfect.

He had tried to respond to her, but he could think of no words as Lily's hands rested on his chest. For a moment, they remained there until one slowly ventured towards his neck, the other his shoulder and arm. He drew in a breath as Lily's soft fingertip touched the rough skin of his face, feeling like silk against him.

"How long as it been?" Lily finally asked her voice no louder than a whisper, and Scorpius forced his eyes open to look at her.

"Five months since the reunion." He answered instantly and Lily smiled at him.

"Feels like forever." She replied and Scorpius nodded in agreement. In all the years they'd saved just a few precious days for only each other, they had so quickly fallen into each other's arms wanting to savor every moment that they never slowed down enough to truly savor every touch. Now, as they sat still and only touching one another with slow measured touches, everything felt better.

"I've missed you." Scorpius breathed out as he shut his eyes and focused solely on her hands and the way her silk touch was like ice to his skin. "Every day, Lily."

"I've missed you, too." Lily replied, leaning towards him even more. As he felt her body shift, Scorpius wrapped one arm around her waist, almost locking her into the place beside him.

"I dream about you." Scorpius admitted as he opened his eyes to see her.

"What do you dream?" Lily asked, wanting so desperately to know if she was not the only one who longed so entirely for another person.

"About the morning I woke up with you in my arms." Scorpius answered without a second's thought. "What it would be like to have every morning that way. To sleep with you right beside me and to wake up with you looking at me. To have you completely all the time. Not just when we're at the same function but every day."

Scorpius could see Lily's eyes change as his words fell on her ears. She wasn't sure how to respond to his testament other than to curl her fingers around his neck. It was all he needed to press their lips together. She responded to him instantly, pulling him as close as she could and moving her lips feverishly against his. She knew it was the first kiss of many, but after so long, she'd become accustomed to reducing their full length relationships into just a few days' time.

"Wait," Scorpius told her as he forced his lips to part from hers. "Slowly." He told her and she nodded, wanting the same thing but unsure if she could do so. "I want it to last forever."

Lily nodded against him, so desperate to feel his lips again, but Scorpius moved his lips against her at a much slower pace than Lily craved. She eventually slowed to his pace and paid more attention to his hands slowly moving along her sides and over her curves. Scorpius had touched the skin beneath her clothes so many times before, but it felt completely new to trace her side above her clothing.

Before things could go any further, Scorpius drew a deep breath as he pulled from Lily. She tightened her grip on his neck and her touch nearly drove him to continue but Scorpius shook his head softly. Knowing what he meant, Lily drew in a deep breath as well before she slowly retrieved her hands from his body.

"We should wait." Scorpius said as he looked into her eyes and she slowly nodded.

"You're right." Lily told him as she lowered her head to rest on his shoulder. She moved closer to him, pressing their bodies together but not in the same sexual manner as before. After a few minutes, she felt Scorpius' body relax beneath hers and his arm tightened around her shoulder. He pressed his lips against her forehead before he looked down at her.

"I love you, Lily." He said softly and she slowly lifted her head to look at him.

"That's supposed to be creepy on a first date." She commented and he laughed. She smiled at him before she pressed her lips to his for just a brief kiss. "I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

Scorpius and Albus lay on small bed, both lined with white bedding. A curtain had been drawn around the two, shielding them from the rest of the large room. Though Albus remained unconscious, Scorpius was slowly starting to open his eyes, but he could not make out any real shapes or lines. The colors of the flowers on the small stand between his bed and Albus blended into the colors of Albus and the person standing between their beds.

"Don't lift your head." A calm voice floated around him, and he listened as he let out a breath and rested more entirely on the pillow beneath him. He knew he recognized the soft voice, but it was far too difficult to try and remember from where.

"Lily." Scorpius managed to say through a groan before a small hand touched his shoulder. He was suddenly aware he was not wearing a shirt and light hospital dressing from his waist down.

"She's on her way." The voice replied softly.

"Sarah."

"Yes." She let out a soft laugh as she bent down to become eye level with Scorpius. He struggled for a moment as he opened his eyes but as he continue staring, the lines of her face slowly became clear again. "I owled Lily already, Scorpius. Do you remember what happened?"

"No."

"Ok." Sarah nodded softly as she reached behind her to retrieve a small vial of blue liquid. "If you're in too much pain, you can take this." She told him, though she knew Scorpius and Albus' line of work often lead to multiple visits to the Ministry's on site hospital and by then both men knew the procedures.

"What happened?"

"We'll talk about it later." Sarah answered, her warm smile seeming to actually make him feel better. When he started to turn, she reached out, putting her hand on his shoulder again. "Don't move. Stay on your stomach. The majority of your wounds are on your back."

"Just heal them." Scorpius groaned as he turned to put his face in his pillow.

"The Healer is attending to other patients right now. He'll be around soon." Sarah assured him, and could not see when he rolled his eyes. He knew Sarah was more than capable of healing all their wounds, and quite possibly even more so than the qualified Healer.

"Albus." Scorpius said simply and Sarah nodded.

"He woke up before you. About ten minutes ago. He's alright. You're both fine." Sarah answered simply, careful to keep her voice gentle. "I already gave him something to help him sleep."

"Ok." Scorpius replied, finally satisfied and comfortable with his surroundings.

"Alright," Sarah laughed slightly as she bent down to him once more, her gentle fingers still on his back. "Go back to sleep."

"Shut up." Albus groaned from the other side and Sarah sighed as she turned back to him.

"You shut up."

"This was your fault." Albus replied groggily and Scorpius tried to lift his head, but Sarah put her hand on his neck.

"I don't remember what happened." Scorpius admitted with a groan.

"Albus, go back to sleep." Sarah sighed as she released Scorpius and stepped towards him.

"You woke me up." He accused, though he did not meet Sarah's eyes. She imagined the white of the hospital was often far too bright for patient's delicate eyes.

"He's always in a sour mood when we wake up in the hospital." Scorpius commented and Sarah stepped away from Albus to peer between the two boys. She drew in a deep breath as she tried to focus, knowing that at the moment she was their trained professional, and yet with their personal lives intertwined, Sarah had a difficult time acting accordingly. She wondered how exactly Albus and Scorpius managed to do so and make it appear so simple, but she also imagined that after so many years, they'd perfected their act together.

Both men had started to look up at the same time, Sarah unable to stop either of them, but as the curtain was pulled open, allowing sunlight to shine in, both groaned and turned back to their pillows.

"What happened?" Lily's voice floated through the space and Scorpius quickly looked up but Sarah walked to him, her hand pressing on his shoulder again. He groaned as he remained laying down, despite wanting to peer up at Lily.

"Stop moving." Sarah repeated, using a much stronger tone of voice, which Scorpius actually cared for. He knew Sarah was far too sweet to be true, but Albus had always refused to share any insider secrets.

"Are you feeling ok?" Lily asked softly as she bent down beside Scorpius' bed, her gentle touch replacing Sarah's pressured one.

"No."

Lily let out a soft giggle as she pressed her lips to his temple, letting her lips linger there for a moment. "It's going to be just fine, Scorpius. You've been here a million times before."

"For some reason, that is not at all comforting." He replied but Lily took it as a good sign that he could hold witty conversation.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I'm really busy right now with work, but as soon as I get off, I'll go to your apartment and make everything perfect for you. Then I'll come get you and take you back, and I'll stay with you all night to make sure you feel better." Lily's promise brought a smile to Scorpius' lips. Though he always appreciated somebody around for the day after being wounded, he took far more comfort in Lily's presence than anyone else.

"I'll make you something nice to eat." Lily added and Scorpius let out a soft laugh.

"That'll kill him." Albus commented from his bed and Lily wiped around to him, even though he could not see the glare across her face.

"I've been practing my cooking skills, just to let you know."

"Those cookies again?" Scorpius asked and Lily turned back to him.

"Whatever you want." She said softly before she leaned down to kiss him again. Before her lips could touch his temple, however, he'd turned slightly to meet her lips with his. Scorpius smiled slightly as Lily pulled away from him before reached out to push the strands of hair away from his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." Scorpius responded and Lily smiled at him before she turned back to Albus.

"Will you need anything, Albus?" she asked softly as she bent to his side and touched his cheek softly.

"No." He answered.

"Alright. Have Sarah owl me if you do." Lily told him before she pressed her lips to his forehead and stood once more. As she turned, she found Sarah had opened the curtains after both men had awoken and behind them three men stared at Lily with odd stares on their faces.

Ignoring them, she stepped towards Sarah, reaching out to get her attention with a hand on her arm. "What happened?"

Sarah only sighed as she looked to Albus then to Scorpius. She momentarily ignored their stares at one another, as she finally came to the conclusion they were really just children at heart and best friends until the end. "They'll never tell us." Sarah said simply with a shrug. "They just rush them in and explain just enough for us to heal them."

Lily only sighed as she looked back to Scorpius, who had peered up at Lily once more. "Does that store still have those chocolate things?"

"Don't eat chocolate, Scorpius." Sarah sighed as she turned to him. "You need to eat for strength."

Lily only laughed as she stepped to Scorpius again. "I'll look, but not tonight." She compromised and Scorpius only stared up at her. When he didn't respond, Lily pressed her lips to his forehead before turning back and leaving the two men in Sarah's capable hands. After Lily had left the hospital, Scorpius dropped back to his pillow and Albus buried his face in his, silently wishing Sarah would come back to his aid. Though he knew he did not require any more medical attention, he enjoyed Sarah's presence and her soft touch.

"Your associates are here." Sarah told the two, who slowly peered over their shoulders at the three men.

"Are you two dating the same woman?" One of them blurted as he stepped forward, running his hand through his hair in disbelief. Neither Scorpius nor Albus responded, and both resorted to their odd stares at the man who was clearly not paying close enough attention to detail. "Don't get me wrong. She's not a bad catch."

"Hey," Albus snapped as his eyes narrowed. "That's my sister."

The other two had started to snicker while the first cleared his throat as he looked between the two, until his mind continued processing the information Albus had given him. "You're dating his sister?" He demanded as he turned to Scorpius but Scorpius did not bother looking back.

"Visiting hours are over." Sarah announced as she stepped towards the man and put her hand on his arm to get his attention. With her other arm she motioned towards the door then peered to the other two men. Very little else was said, including get wells, before all three men had left the hospital as Sarah pulled the curtains once more. The three hadn't asked, but Scorpius and Albus knew well enough visiting hours were not officially over.

"Thank you." Scorpius muttered, and Sarah's laugh was all he needed as a response. Though he had buried his face into his pillow, he knew Sarah had given Albus a kiss in the privacy of the drawn curtains. He could tell from Albus' odd and rather silly laugh indicative of a boy getting his first kiss. Scorpius could nearly feel the smile across Albus' face, but he wasn't sure if part of that had something to do with Lily's visit as well.

**X**

"Is there anything you have to do?" Lily asked as she walked with Scorpius to the couch. He could walk fine on his own, but Lily's sharp eye could tell he felt pain in every step. "For the pain or anything?"

"No," Scorpius answered as he lowered himself to the seat. "Sarah said she didn't require us to go back in, but that she'd come by in a few days to check on everything."

"And you'll be off work?" Lily rose an eye brow at him and he only nodded at her. "Just needed to make sure." She responded simply as she sat beside him and let his rest his head against her. His dark eyes showed his fatigue, even if he had spent at least half the day confined to the hospital bed.

"Will you stay?" Scorpius' words were soft, but Lily did not respond. Instead she treaded her fingers through his short locks, lightly massaging his scalp in the process. When he peered up at her she smiled down at her and pressed her lips to his.

"Of course." She told him softly, but Scorpius raised himself to press their lips together a second time. After the kiss, Scorpius rested against Lily once more, fully enjoying her company. It was quiet between the two, but Scorpius did not mind. He liked the peacefulness surrounding them.

Lily, however, had a question burning in her mind, and finally let the words escape her. "What happened, Scorpius?"

Scorpius did not answer right away, but as Lily started to shift beneath him, he sighed and lifted his head. "You know I can't tell you."

"Scorpius." Lily said his name but it was not forceful. She spoke it with a breath and Scorpius was sure he'd detected a kind of hopelessness Lily had never had before that moment. "I'm going through the first set of Runes from a site that has been buried thousands of meters beneath the ground with every important historian, archeologist and Runes specialist in the world staring at me and I get an owl that you blew yourself up."

"I didn't do it myself." Scorpius responded as though his words would comfort her, but from her expression he knew they did not. "Lily, you always knew that there was always going to be a chance that Albus or I would be hurt. And you knew that I couldn't tell you about anything we did."

"I know that." Lily replied simply and Scorpius stared at her with some confusion. When he did not respond, Lily shifted out from beneath Scorpius to reach for the folded up newspaper on the table in front of the couch. "Is this where you were?" She asked as she unfolded it to the front page and held it out to Scorpius.

He did not look down at the picture, but both knew he didn't need to.

"An abandoned building blocks from the more popular area of Knockturn Ally exploded today." Lily explained with a deep breath, but from Scorpius' expression she knew he knew all the details in the paper and more. "The Minister held an emergency meeting to explain that it was probably an old Apothecary used mainly for dark magic. One that was made popular just before the second war and that somebody had most likely started using the old equipment again and mixed two ingredients they shouldn't have but that no definite conclusions could be made until a full investigation could be made."

"You don't believe him?" Scorpius asked and Lily's eyes darkened at what he implied.

"I've been to that part of Knockturn Ally, Scorpius. I'm quite as innocent as you and Albus like to think of me. More than once I've require a few darker things from my work and I find the older areas of Knockturn Ally to be quite efficient in providing goods as well as secrecy."

"Ok," Scorpius nodded in understanding.

"There is no Apothecary out there." Lily replied simply before she put the paper back on the table. "Any Apothecary would've been broken into and all the equipment stolen years ago. And nobody in Knockturn Ally is stupid enough to mix ingredients incorrectly. Not at that magnitude."

"Are those the only inconsistencies?" Scorpius asked, all but outright confirming her theory.

"No." Lily answered simply and Scorpius actually smiled, enjoying Lily's intelligence in a way no other man had ever before. "The mixing of potions or ingredients incorrectly results in flashes of blue or purple the majority of the time. The flashes before the explosion were green and red. Spells. Crossfire. This was not an accident. Well, it might've very well been an accident but not the kind the Minister said this afternoon."

For a moment it went silent between the two as Scorpius stared at Lily, knowing that even if he did not pride himself on never directly lying to her, she would know everything about him regardless. Lily was far too smart a person to be fooled so easily.

"The majority of the time, a three man team will be sent to investigate lingering Voldermolt operatives. In the case that it's unclear what is happening, Albus and I are sent. We're more highly trained and we, as of now, are deemed to have less at stake than most others capable of taking our positions. Usually we're sent to tense situations or where it's necessary to infiltrate. We rarely actually find anything related to Voldermolt but it's such a high priority that it's almost assumed in every case."

"Why would you have less at stake?" Lily asked with narrowed eyes.

"We're not married. No kids. Everyone basically knows we only have each other. It's easier for the Ministry if we die together because we would eliminate ourselves as potential problems. Nobody left over who needs to be supported. No partner to say the Ministry could've prevented the death. Our positions are always filled together, at the same time, Lily. It's rare that one will die without the other."

Scorpius had reached for Lily, but she stood and walked away from him, before his touch could comfort her. "What would I do if I lost you and Albus at the same time, Scorpius?" Lily asked but Scorpius did not answer. He leaned over his knees with his forearms, his eyes shut, as Lily approached him again.

"What would I do if my brother was killed and the only man I've ever loved isn't there to hold me?" Lily rephrased the question, but Scorpius knew better than to even attempt an answer. "How do you have less to lose than anybody else? Why does it not matter that you have people who love you and need you just like anybody else?"

"I didn't have you when I joined, Lily." Scorpius replied finally as he raised his eyes to meet hers. "You were in France. I didn't have anybody. I had my parents who were so mad at me for letting you get away that they never talked to me. All I had was Albus."

"Things have changed."

"And what would you have me do?" Scorpius asked simply. "I can't leave without Albus. They'll remove him if I quit. If we keep our positions for another year we'll be promoted."

"More secrets." Lily said simply but Scorpius laughed.

"I don't really have any secrets at all right now, so I doubt your biggest worry should be that." Scorpius replied, finally able to pull a smile from her lips. She stepped towards him and sat in front of him on the table, but let him hold her hands.

"Would it be more dangerous?"

"No." Scorpius answered. "We have just about the most dangerous position possible, and we've lasted longer than any other partnership. Usually they're either dead or resigned by now."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?"

"No," Scorpius laughed and Lily smiled as she moved to sit beside him, letting his arm wrap around her. "More than once, we've been reviewed by different people. People who look at our case history and our mental health and everything, and they always say it's lasted so long because we were friends long before we took these positions. Usually, the partners are forced to learn to how be willing to give their lives for their partner within weeks or starting in the position. Albus and I have never so much as left a room without the other behind us."

"So if I lose one of you, chances are I'll lose the other?"

"I don't prefer you think of us in those terms," Scorpius responded but Lily held his stare. "However, in our current positions, that's fairly accurate."


	18. Chapter 18

Scorpius groaned as Sarah re-bandaged his wounds but he said nothing. Lily was in the kitchen with Albus who had finally agreed to try her cooking, however hesitant he remained.

"Just eat it." Lily snapped and Scorpius let out a dry laugh, but was quickly silenced by Sarah's ministrations. Albus stared up at Lily for a moment before he looked back down at his plate.

"I'm already wounded, Lily." He told her as he set his fork down. "I don't want anything that's going to compromise my health even more."

"You are a terrible brother." Lily told him with a glare before she left the kitchen and moved towards Scorpius, who was pulling his shirt back on after Sarah had finished.

"It's not bad, Albs." Scorpius called out but Albus pushed the plate away from him anyway. Ignoring him, Lily sat with Scorpius, letting him take hold of her hands. Sarah had come to Albus' side, but neither Lily nor Scorpius were paying the pair any attention.

"We're going to get going, now." Albus called out, recognizing what the silence that had fallen between Lily and Scorpius coupled with their lingering glances meant.

"Ok," Scorpius answered simply without looking back at them. He could vaguely hear their footsteps followed by the closing of his door, but his eyes had remained on Lily the entire time.

"What are you think, Scorpius?" Lily asked softly, knowing something was on his mind.

"Just that I never considered how you felt about our positions." He answered but Lily looked away from him. She was uncomfortable with the work Scorpius and Albus were involved in, but she had not meant to sound so demanding when they had last spoken about the topic.

"Scorpius, I don't think we should talk about this now." Lily said gently as she faced him again, expecting him to be at least slightly defensive and ready to defend the line of work he'd chosen, but instead Scorpius appeared very calm.

"I'd like to." Scorpius responded. Lily drew in a breath as she eyed him carefully until she nodded slowly. "I only wanted to say that for right now, we will remain in our current positions, but if for any reason I need to leave then I will." He explained softly as he squeezed her hand but held her gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you have to go somewhere for research or a new historical site, then I'll leave my job and follow you anywhere you have to go."

"Scorpius-"

"Don't, Lily." He stopped her and Lily drew in a long breath. For a moment, she only stared at him, feeling his fingers become tighter and tighter around her own. "I already let you leave once, and I won't do that again. There's nothing you can say that's going to change that."

"Don't you need a sense of security?" She asked simply, but watched Scorpius shrug his shoulders.

"It's overrated when you're all by yourself." He answered and Lily could not help the smile across her lips. "Besides, I can do any number of jobs anywhere you have to go."

"Why do you suddenly feel this way?" She asked as she realized she could not persuade him to choose his own future over their relationship which had yet to prove its ability to remain long-term.

"Because I woke up with you right next to me and other than that night on the couch, I couldn't remember the last time that had happened." Scorpius answered simply. "We can be anywhere in the world and as long as I get to hold you, I'm happy, Lily. I can become the Minister of Magic and be miserable if you're off in Ireland digging up some rocks without me."

Lily started to laugh but her laughter was quickly silenced by the kiss he pressed against her lips. As he pulled away, he kept their proximity to a minimum and simply stared into her clear eyes. "I don't want to go anywhere without you, Lily. I don't care what it takes."

"I love you." Lily said simply before she kissed him again, and felt his arms wrap around her body.

**X**

"How's it going so far?" Albus asked curiously as he Scorpius sat in the front room Scorpius' apartment. They had ordered food from their favorite muggle restaurant and were currently enjoying the last day of their time off.

"With Lily?" Scorpius asked and Albus stared at him. Usually, Scorpius would match the stare, but he only smiled as he turned back to his food. Albus immediately knew things were better than good between the two even without Scorpius' verbal confirmation.

"We're taking it slow right now."

"What exactly does that mean?" Albus asked and Scorpius looked up at him.

"We haven't really advanced our physical relationship just yet."

"Not because you're taking things slow." Albus replied with a shrug, having gotten over the physical relationship between his closest friend and only sister years ago. "You might've been doing that with the dates, but now, your back just hurts like mine does."

"Do you have to be so-"

"Straight forward?" Albus asked but Scorpius finally managed a stare as a response.

"I was going to say crude." Scorpius responded simply before returning his attention to his food.

"But it's going well?" Albus asked.

"Very." Scorpius answered, as his smile returned to his lips. He set his plate of food on the table in front of them before he turned to Albus with an odd look across his face. Albus noticed, but continued eating as he waited for Scorpius' comment.

Instead, Scorpius said nothing and it became very quiet between the two. Finally, Albus peered up at Scorpius with curious eyes, only to find Scorpius had parted his lips as though ready to speak but unable to actually find words to say.

"What?" Albus asked with narrowed eyes.

"I-" Scorpius started but stopped and cleared his throat as he turned away from Albus' gaze. "I'm going to propose."

Albus swallowed the food he'd already eaten then placed his plate on the table as well. For a moment, he did not meet Scorpius' gaze, but he eventually turned to him though neither said anything.

"You're going to what?" Albus asked and Scorpius had trouble removing the grin from his lips long enough to speak.

"I'm going to ask Lily to marry me." He rephrased and Albus simply nodded. For a moment, he started to open his mouth, as though ready to respond, but could not do so. He tried a second time, and found the same outcome.

It was not until Albus smiled and laughed that Scorpius drew in a deep breath knowing he'd gotten Albus' approval without actually getting a verbal response from him.

"Do you have a ring?" Albus asked and Scorpius started to laugh as well as he bent down to pull open one of the storage drawers in the table. From inside the large drawer, he retrieved a small black box and handed it to Albus.

He opened the box and gazed down at the ring before he looked up at Scorpius. "It's perfect." He said and Scorpius nodded as he smiled and took the ring back to replace it to its hiding place. "You're going to be happy."

"I'm already happy." Scorpius responded. "I haven't been happy like this in years, and even then…"

"It was Lily." Albus finished and Scorpius nodded.

"Yeah," He smiled as he watched Albus. Scorpius knew that over the years, he'd owed Albus many things, but none of the things Albus had ever done for him had been nearly as important as being open and willing for Scorpius and Lily to discover one another.

"Do you know when?"

"No," Scorpius shook his head as he drew in a breath. "I kind of want to do it under the oak tree."

"But how are you going to get her there?"

"Well, I thought you would ask your parents if they wanted to have another dinner with Sarah and then I'd suggest it to Lily and we'd come too. And then, you know, go for a walk."

Albus did not respond, but Scorpius did not require a response. Knowing Albus was not against the idea was all Scorpius really needed, and Albus knew well enough that his opinions would not be so widely accepted. As a result, the two old friends continued dinner, both rather content with their places in life.


	19. Chapter 19

Lily was in the kitchen in Scorpius' apartment idly moving about. She had already cleaned and replaced all the cooking utensils to their proper place and had effective run out of things to do. As she stepped towards the table, she eyed the dinner she had prepared that had, so far, gone uneaten. With Scorpius still at work, Lily simply passed the table and headed towards the hallway. Before she had left the main room, however, she heard the doorknob start to rattle until it finally opened and Scorpius stepped into the room.

"Lily," He smiled, surprised to find her there, But Lily turned away from him and continued down the hallway. Confused, Scorpius narrowed his eyes as he dropped his things near the door. As he continued further into the apartment, however, he paused as he looked at the place settings and food on the table, knowing he was supposed to be home much earlier than he actually was. With a sigh, Scorpius followed Lily down the hallway, and found her in his bedroom sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I didn't know, Lily." Scorpius said softly as he approached her.

"I know." She responded as she nodded, letting his hands find her waist. "But you were supposed to be here hours ago."

"I know." Scorpius agreed, his voice and eyes displaying his guilt. Lily only let out a breath as she met his eyes, knowing he felt terrible enough without her saying anything.

"What kept you?" She asked simply and Scorpius stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. She quickly found her place in his arms, her arms wrapping around him as well. The feeling alone of his embrace was almost enough to wipe the disappointment from her eyes.

"Paperwork." He answered before pressing his lips to her cheek. She let his lips brush her skin lightly before she turned to meet his lips with hers. "I'm sorry." He whispered between their kisses, fully intent on apologizing to Lily and making it up, but Lily was far more interested in his kisses than his words. As she moved back on the bed, her arms pulling Scorpius with her, he started to grin against her lips.

Slowly, Lily moved to lie beneath Scorpius, his lips pulling from her to kiss the sensitive skin of her neck. As she enjoyed the feeling, Lily let her hands wander. One hand slid up and into his blonde locks, while the other trailed down his side only to stop at the waistband of his pants. As his kisses continued, she slowly moved her fingers towards the bottom of his shirt, letting her fingers feel the hot skin of his torso.

"Lily," Scorpius groaned as he pulled from her neck and focused on her hand as she moved tortuously slow up his stomach. As he lifted his head to peer down at her, he found the devious smile had crawled onto her lips as her hand once in his hair joined the one slowly removing his shirt. Though he desperately wanted to speed things up, he allowed Lily to keep control of the pace knowing he would end things much sooner.

By the time his shirt was peeled from his body, Scorpius had rolled to his back, letting Lily take the space to the side of him. She kissed him on the lips fully for a moment, before she turned her kisses to his neck. She lead the trail of kisses to his collar, and down his chest, stopping at each scar for just a moment. Scorpius, who could not take anymore, returned to his position above her and eagerly became to kiss her lips, his fingers starting on the buttons of her shirt.

"I love you," Lily managed between their lips, and felt Scorpius' smile return as the words fell onto his ears.

"I love you," He responded as he pulled from her lips long enough to look into her eyes. Just as he'd leaned down to attach his lips to her neck, he heard to sound of footsteps sounding through the hallway and into the bedroom.

"What is that?" Lily asked, but she quickly pulled her shirt closed as Albus appeared in the doorway.

"Scorpius you need-" Albus started but paused as he stared at the scene before him.

"What?"Scorpius demanded as he rolled away from Lily and looked to Albus. For a moment, it was just silent as Albus stared at Scorpius, careful to keep his eyes averted from Lily as she buttoned her shirt. "Albus!" Scorpius groaned as he stepped forward and retrieved the folder from his hand. "What do you want?" He repeated and Albus returned his attention to the fold that Scorpius had opened on the nearby dresser.

"Sign here." Albus answered as he pointed at a line near the end of the first page. Scorpius quickly materialized a quill and messily copied his name on the designated line. "Initial." Albus said as he flipped the page. "Sign. Sign. Initial." He repeated as he continued to flip through the pages.

"Good?" Scorpius asked as he held the folder out for Albus to take.

"Yes." He answered before quickly leaving the room. Though slightly angered by Albus' appearance, as Scorpius turned back to Lily, he found her smiling almost laughing as she stared up at him, her eyes shining. "Why are you entertained by that? He's annoying."

"He's your best friend." Lily responded laughing, as Scorpius turned back to her with narrowed eyes. For a moment, the room fell quiet as the two simply watched one another, until Lily broke their gaze as she shifted to sit on the edge of the bed. "It's getting late." She said explained as she started to button the rest of her shirt.

"Yeah," Scorpius agreed, but Lily could hear the disappointment in his voice. She peered up at him for a moment, before she rose to her feet and stepped towards him. She put her hands on his chest slightly as she stood up on her toes to meet his lips with hers. "You don't have to go, Lily." He told her softly as she pulled from the kiss.

"I know."Lily responded simply, but Scorpius should not have been surprised by such a response. Rather than convince her, Scorpius only sighed as he let her entangle their fingers. He walked beside her out of the bedroom and to the door before he pressed their lips together all while wondering what might've happened had Albus not interrupted.

"I love you," Lily whispered softly as Scorpius pulled from her lips.

"I love you, too." He responded as he reached up to touch her cheek. Without any other words, Lily turned and left the apartment, letting Scorpius close the door behind her. He remained there for a moment as he drew in long breaths.

Though he knew it wasn't entirely his fault, he knew that had he been in any other profession he'd have enjoyed a nice surprise dinner with his girlfriend and possibly without any interruptions. Though it was a fairly small drawback overall, Scorpius was not thinking in terms of just the one night.

As he turned back to the main room of the apartment, he stared at the center table where Lily's ring was cleverly hidden. He could not help but wonder how many dinners he could potentially miss. Lily hadn't been particularly upset, but Scorpius was not foolish enough to think that a repeat offensive did not warrant a harsher penalty. Then there was his and Albus' recent in the field job which had gone terribly wrong. Yes, they'd been lucky to get away with only a few wounds each, but he could not image how Lily would receive an owl explaining the worst possible outcome of his work to her.

Scorpius knew Albus will say the change was inspired by Lily and their new relationship, but Scorpius knew that was the truth. It was best overall for his health and for his relationship with Lily if he and Albus found another line of work which did not come with quite so many hazards.


	20. Chapter 20

"We need to think about transferring into a different department." Scorpius announced simply as he stared across the table at Albus. The two were seated in his apartment and were sorting through their paperwork, but Albus had quickly stopped everything he was doing.

"What?" Albus asked as he peered up at Scorpius as though he could not be entirely sure what Scorpius had asked. Both men knew, however, that Albus had heard Scorpius' suggestion clearly.

"We can't do this anymore." Scorpius responded by proceeding to defend his position. "We could be killed."

"That was just as true when we started as it is now."

"Things are different now." Scorpius admitted simply. Albus only stared at Scorpius, knowing full well what exactly had changed. "For both of us." Scorpius added. Though he was right, Albus was not under the impression that Scorpius' sudden change of position had much to do with Albus.

When Albus did not respond, Scorpius continued after the silence had carried on for too long. "Albus, we could've died that day in Knockturn Alley. And they got away in the crossfire. They could be coming after us anytime, anywhere. And what about Lily? How can I get married knowing that any day I go to work could be the end? I can't do this anymore, Al."

"You want to give up your career for a girl?" Albus replied but was met by Scorpius' stare.

"For your sister."

"I thought we had decided that your girlfriend and my sister were two different people."

"Albus." Scorpius groaned as he stood up and started to walk out of the room. As though they were a couple in the midst of an argument, Albus stood and followed Scorpius intent on continuing until Scorpius saw the situation from his point of view.

"What do you propose we do then?" Albus asked as he followed Scorpius into the next room.

"I don't know, Albus." Scorpius answered, his tone of voice displaying his annoyance. "Anything. And if Lily has to leave for a dig or if she just wants to travel, then I'm going to leave and go with her. We've done everything together for our entire lives and I really think that it's time for us to have something that the other isn't involved in." Scorpius explained as he stopped and turned back to Albus.

"Is that how you break up with girls?" Albus asked and though Scorpius wanted to be annoyed, he could not help but enjoy Albus' inappropriate however entertaining comment. As such, Scorpius did not respond and instead turned to continue walking towards his bedroom, Albus trailing behind.

"Besides, you have Lily and I have Sarah. We're not really involved in that."

"You're her brother, Albus." Scorpius responded strongly. "You are inherently involved in my relationship whether either of us care for that."

"But we're not trained to do anything else." Albus finally commented and Scorpius stopped walking to turn back to him a second time.

"I don't care." Scorpius said honestly and Albus could see it in his eyes. "I just can't do this anymore. How can you want this for your sister, Albus? What's going to happen? She's going to get an owl that her brother and her husband are dead?"

"She hasn't said yes to you yet, Scorpius." Albus responded but quickly knew he had not taken Scorpius' point seriously when he should have.

**X**

After some convincing, Albus agreed to try Lily's cooking and was seated across from Scorpius at the dining table in Scorpius' apartment. Sarah's seat was beside him, but she was in the kitchen with Lily, the two women making the final preparations for the meal, both refusing to allow either Albus or Scorpius to help.

When they had finally finished, the plates of food floated to the table as Sarah and Lily took their seats. Scorpius and Lily were first to serve themselves, and Sarah was next. It was not until Scorpius and Sarah had already started eating that Albus took food as well.

Lily mostly ignored Albus as he picked at the food and put only small bites into his mouth. She kept the majority of her attention on Scorpius, who Sarah could see a major difference in. She'd noticed he'd been happier since Lily's return, but she had seen Scorpius and Lily beside one another so few times that she had not really noticed the effect Lily had on him.

The most notable difference was his smile. After seeing how Scorpius smiled at Lily and just for being in her presence, Sarah quickly noticed how hollow and forced the majority of his smiles had been before then. For some short time, she had honestly believed Scorpius had enjoyed time with Natalie those few months ago, but it was clear his smile then had meant nothing compared to the way he smiled at Lily so genuinely and so passionately.

Even Lily's glances towards him were filled with a kind of passion and intensity that Sarah knew did not exist between herself and Albus. She knew they certainly had something beautiful and just as loving, but part of her knew that they did not glow the way Scorpius and Lily did. Just by watching them sit beside one another in silence Sarah understood what Albus had tried to explain to her about them.

She had actually been hurt when he commented that a love like the one between Scorpius and Lily was something everybody pins for but rarely ever finds. She had taken it so personally, understanding that he had meant he did not love her entirely. Sarah, however, had not understood that Scorpius and Lily had something that simply could not be replicated in the short time Albus and Sarah had been together. In comparison, Scorpius and Lily had spent more time arguing than Albus and Sarah had spent in love. In that sense, Albus and Sarah would never compare to Scorpius and Lily and it was silly to even think that one day such a comparison would be fair.

Joining the table once more, Albus had just started to actually eat Lily's cooking when two owls flew towards the kitchen window and perched on the window seal. Scorpius eyed the pair of birds for a moment as Lily removed her hand from his beneath the table. Then he stood and walked towards the owls expected letters for himself and for Albus. As he took the envelopes from the birds' beaks, however, he found them addressed to Albus and Lily.

"What?" Lily asked as she noticed his confused look.

"It's for you." He answered as he neared the table, dropping one letter in Albus' lap before continuing to reclaim his place beside Lily. He handed her the letter and continued eating though the set of siblings had paused to open them.

"What are they?" Sarah asked curiously, making the same assumption Scorpius had that the letter were identical and that James had probably received one as well.

"Do you want to come home with me this weekend?" Lily asked as she looked up to Scorpius. Though he'd been to the Potter home for the weekend several times, it felt entirely different to be there as Lily's boyfriend opposed to Albus' friend. With the smile Sarah though made his face seem to light up, Scorpius nodded before he pressed his lips to her cheek.

"You?" Albus asked as he turned to Sarah, setting the letter to the side of his plate.

"What's the occasion?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Apparently James has a girlfriend and Mum and Dad wants to have a dinner with everyone." Albus answered and Scorpius looked up at him with a skeptical eyebrow higher than the other.

"Like an actual girlfriend?" Scorpius asked and with a laugh, Lily started to nod. "Like just one?" Scorpius repeated and Albus nodded in response.

"Is it uncommon for your brother to have a girlfriend?" Sarah asked curiously, finding the combined presence of Albus, Lily, and Scorpius to be an incredibly awkward position to be in. With Lily and Albus' shared history with Scorpius, Sarah simply could not compete and Scorpius would always know little seemingly unimportant details about Albus and Lily. Over time, however, Sarah found that they added up.

"Absolutely not." Albus answered.

"He has never brought any of them home, though." Lily clarified and Sarah nodded. "But that's mostly because if he takes one girl friend home, then the others will wonder where he was all weekend." Sarah did not answer and simply nodded as she took in the information of Albus and Lily's older brother.

"I wonder if she's crazy, too." Scorpius commented, earning a hit on his leg from the back of Lily's hand beneath the table. He only laughed as Albus smiled at the comment. Even Lily wanted to smile but knew it was mean to their non-present brother who could not defend himself. Despite that, she quickly entangled her fingers with Scorpius' anyway.


	21. Chapter 21

Though he'd been there so many times, Scorpius enjoyed arriving at the Potter home with Lily on his arm much more than when he arrived with Albus. He and Sarah had yet to arrive, and so Scorpius and Lily were the first to greet Ginny and Harry, both of whom noticed the incredible difference in each of them. The last time either had seen Scorpius or Lily had been the unfortunate visit with Lily's previous boyfriend during which nobody had displayed very much of their pleasant sides. It had also been Sarah's first visit to the Potter home, but that had not been quite as smooth as either Albus or Sarah had hoped it would've been. As such, Ginny and Harry were all smiles to see Lily's eyes lit up so brightly, and Scorpius at her side.

"You look so beautiful," Ginny said lovingly as she cupped Lily's face and looked upon her with adoration. Lily paused for a moment before she wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders. Scorpius shook hands with Harry, neither saying anything, but it was unnecessary. Scorpius knew, for the most part, Harry's thoughts on him and they were all favorable. After Harry and Lily had hugged, Scorpius left the room to carry their bags to Lily's bedroom, leaving her to catch up with her parents.

As Scorpius had reentered the room, he found Albus and Sarah had arrived as well. Deciding to leave them be with Ginny and Harry, Scorpius made his way towards the kitchen, more than pleased to find a basket of Ginny's bread that he enjoyed perhaps too much. As he started to savor a piece, Lily came to his side and took a bite before catching his attention.

"Getting a head start on dinner?" She teased and Scorpius only smiled down at her.

"I can't help myself."

"You're going t be fat if you keep eating those." Lily warned but Scorpius shrugged.

"I suppose that's just the risk I'll have to take." He replied and Lily let a giggle pass her lips as she stepped closer to Scorpius, letting his arm fall around her shoulder, his lips landing on her temple. Lily had settled into the space beneath his arm and against his chest, just as Scorpius recognized the feeling of her pressed against him. They had been so attuned to one another that they had not noticed being watched by the others in the room.

It was Ginny who had pulled Lily's attention, but Scorpius had been reluctant to release her. With a smile on her lips, Lily eyed him before her small frame slipped from his arms and bounced away from his side to approach her mother and Sarah in the next room. As Lily left his presence, Albus soon entered it, a knowing smile over his lips.

"Tonight or tomorrow?" Albus asked as he leaned onto the counter with his elbows but Scorpius continued to eat his slice of bread and simply peered back at Albus until he'd finished the bread.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scorpius responded and Albus nodded slowly as though in agreement. As he continued to stare, Scorpius could not stop the smile from forming across his lips. "Probably tomorrow night."

"With everybody here?" Albus asked and Scorpius shrugged.

"I don't think it matters." He answered as he thought of the ring sitting in his bag upstairs. He knew it did not matter how many people were present when he finally asked Lily to marry him. That moment would belong to him and to Lily and nothing could change that.

"James should be arriving soon." Albus changed the subject as Harry approached them, but his eyes had narrowed at Scorpius' smile that had yet to fade. Albus and Scorpius were aware of the attention, but none of the men were daring enough to comment on it.

"I heard what happened in Knockturn Alley." Harry said simply and Albus nodded but Scorpius looked away. It was all Harry needed to confirm his fears. "Are you considering a new post in the Ministry?"

"Yes." Scorpius answered, but Albus had been quick to disagree. Harry only rose an eyebrow as he peered between the old friends who turned to stare at each other.

"I thought we would talk about it." Albus said simply and Scorpius turned away as he sighed, counting all the ways his relationship with Albus nearly mirrored a relationship he would've had with a woman. Not Lily, of course, because the relationship between him and Lily was quite different than the relationship between Albus and Sarah, a far more traditional relationship.

"We would if you weren't so stubborn." Scorpius answered and Harry only continued to stare.

"You can't make this decision."

"It's not about me, Albus." Scorpius replied as he turned to Albus, each wanting to say far more than they should in the presence of others. Though the argument could have continued, it was cut short when a pop echoed through the room. Harry turned quickly, but Albus and Scorpius had done so slowly, only to be frozen in place as they stared at James and the woman on his arm.

"Natalie." Sarah jumped up and neared her, laughing and arms open for a hug. Natalie had quickly left James' side to embrace her friend, earning an odd stare from James.

"Who are you?" James asked as he stared down at Sarah.

"My girlfriend." Albus answered simply and Natalie turned to Albus smiling, but paused as she stared at Scorpius.

"What are you doing here?" She asked strongly as her eyes narrowed at him.

"It's always nice to see you too," Scorpius responded doing his best not to let somebody as insignificant as Natalie ruin the weekend he would cherish with Lily. Natalie kept her gaze of Scorpius for a moment until James spoke up.

"Why do you all know each other?" He asked confused.

"She's Sarah's friend." Scorpius answered quickly, hoping Natalie would not want to clarify the exact nature through which they had met one another. James seemed to nod at the answer as he turned to Natalie.

"Sarah set me up with him and he was a drag."

"Thank you." Scorpius replied simply with his sarcastic smile and gleam in his eyes taking over. Albus seemed to be rather entertained by the turn of events, but the same could not be said for Lily who had remained silent in the far corner of the room with her mother.

"You dated Natalie?" Lily repeated as she turned to Scorpius, whose sarcasm had quickly faded and been replaced with something made up of fear and realization.

"Who works at the Museum." Scorpius said as he slowly turned to Albus. Albus had moved away from Scorpius, however, and laughed as he moved to Sarah's side.

"Yes." Lily nodded. "And she's utterly incompetent."

"Excuse me?" Natalie stepped forward and James glared at Scorpius.

"What the hell, Scorpius?" James demanded.

"I didn't do anything." Scorpius announced as he stepped forward and took hold of Lily's waist to pull her away from Natalie. "I was perfectly happy to mope around after Lily basically left me but Albus insisted that I go out on a date with one of Sarah's friends. He promised that I would be left alone after so I went and it was Natalie and she hated me anyway." Scorpius explained as he looked from Natalie to James. "And we never saw each other again." He added as he turned back to Lily. "Is everyone ok with that?"

Lily remained quiet as did Natalie as they simply stared at one another. Scorpius broke their contact as he stepped between them, pulling Lily's eyes to his. For a moment, she simply held his stare, but she eventually lowered her eyes and let out a breath. Scorpius stepped towards her, basically forgetting about Natalie behind him, and let Lily fill the space in his arms.


	22. Chapter 22

James and Natalie sat beside one another on one side of the table, Scorpius on the other side of James. Lily was across from Scorpius with Albus at her side and Sarah beside him, though only Natalie and James seemed to have any attention. More than once, Lily wanted to correct Natalie's retellings of work at the Museum, but stares from Albus and Scorpius had warned her otherwise.

With a deep breath Lily continued to nibble at her food, stealing glances at Scorpius across the table from her. Of course he noticed, but refused to give into the temptation Lily was to him. As big of an annoyance Natalie was, Scorpius refused to allow her to ruin the weekend, just as he refused to allow Lily to distract him from his plans. As Natalie continued on about things only James, Ginny, and Harry were listening to, Scorpius and Albus were focused only on the ring Scorpius had bought for Lily some time ago. Somewhere in the back of their minds, however, both were aware they had an unfinished conversation regarded the future of their work to continue.

"What about you, darling?" Harry turned to Lily. "Do you like your old Museum?"

"Much better." Lily answered with a soft smile. "It's a lot cleaner and more organized. Better equipment. More qualified personnel. And I have a lot more freedom in my new position."

"Like what?" Ginny asked curiously as she shifted her eyes to Lily as well.

"They finance any trips I might take if I conduct any research useful to our current project, or possible future projects." Lily answered as she peered up from her food, finding Scorpius stubble but intense gaze on her. Coupled with her smile, she found it difficult to keep her attention on dinner and their surroundings.

"Albus, isn't it weird that your best friend is dating your sister?" Natalie asked and Scorpius shut his eyes as he drew in a breath. Lily resisted the urge to face Natalie, and Albus cleared his throat as he turned to address Natalie.

"No." He said simply.

"I'm going for a walk." Lily announced as she stood up from her seat. She had barely eaten, but she found that in Natalie's annoying presence she had no appetite. Scorpius' eyes shot to Lily to watch as she moved along the table in the direction of the back door, until he turned to Albus.

"I'll go with you." Scorpius said quickly as he, too, stood up. Albus reached for his glass and started to take a sip to hide his sudden and uncontrollable grin from the rest of the table, knowing exactly what was to happen in the very near future. As Scorpius reached Lily, he placed one hand on the small of her back as he opened the door and let her pass through first.

After they had let the door close behind them, the two continued through the porch and started through the empty field in the direction of the old oak tree and the table in its shade. "She's so annoying." Lily said and Scorpius let out a dry laugh as he nodded in agreement. Lily turned to peer up at him as she put her arm around his body and rested her head on his shoulder. "How did you survive an entire date?"

"I have no idea," Scorpius admitted with a laugh as he turned down to Lily and pressed his lips to her forehead. "But I don't want to talk about Natalie."

"Neither do I." Lily agreed as she let her eyes peer up at Scorpius for a moment before she looked forward again. "It's so quiet here. So much simpler than the city."

"I love it here," Scorpius replied as they reached the table. Lily sat on the top of the table, her legs hanging off the edge, and with her arms, she pull Scorpius to stand in front of her. "I think all my best memories are here."

"None at Hogwarts?" Lily asked with a devious look in her eyes, but Scorpius smiled as he stole a kiss from her lips.

"Perhaps a few from Hogwarts." He agreed and the two laughed for a moment. As it became quiet, Scorpius reached up to cup her cheek before he lowered his lips to hers. Lily's hands found Scorpius' neck and chest and slowly she pulled him closer. Before Lily could distract him, Scorpius pulled from her intoxicating kiss and kept their foreheads together.

"I'm glad we came." Lily said softly, her eyes still shut though she could feel Scorpius' eyes on her. "Even with James and Natalie."

"Me too," Scorpius agreed with a soft laugh as he let his hands follow the curve of her arms until he took her hands into his. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lily responded as she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Inside, dinner had passed and with Scorpius and Lily still outside, everyone else gathered in the living room. Albus, however, seemed anxious, but only Sarah seemed to notice. They sat on the couch near the window, and more than once, Albus turned to look outside, moving away from Sarah in the process.

"Do you like your work, Sarah?" Ginny asked curiously and Sarah had started to answer but was distracted by Albus and he turned to peer out the window again. Ginny had started to notice his odd behavior and when Sarah did not continue, she turned to watch Albus as well.

"What is the matter with you?" Sarah asked with a sigh, but Albus did not return to his seat has he had previously. Instead, he shifted so that he was on his knees on the couch and peering out the window.

"Watch this." Albus said simply. "Mum. Dad." He called without looking to them. After a moment's hesitation, Ginny and Harry moved to look out the window, unsure of what Albus was so interested in. At first, it seemed as though Scorpius and Lily were simply talking, but Scorpius took a step back from Lily, releasing her hands.

"Albus what are we looking at?" Harry asked, but Albus did not respond right away. Instead, he simply waited until Ginny let out a noise that resembled a laugh as Scorpius knelt to the ground. He waved his hand over his other and the ring box materialized in his palm. A few moments passed before Scorpius reached for Lily's outstretched hand. After he appeared to hold it for a few moments, he rose to his feet and Lily quickly jumped into his arms, her legs also wrapping around his body.

"You knew that was going to happen." Harry said simply as he turned down to Albus.

"Yes." Albus answered before he turned his attention to Ginny who quickly hugged him in her joy. James and Natalie had ventured over to the window as well, but neither could tell what had happened as Scorpius simply held Lily up, their lips meeting in a rather passionate kiss.

As they pulled apart, Lily seemed to run towards the house, leaving Scorpius behind until she noticed him falling behind. She waited for him to come to her side before she laced their fingers together. With Scorpius in tow, Lily proceeded to run towards the house, Scorpius laughing behind her. As she entered the house through the back door, she released Scorpius' hand and turned to find her family all standing by the window. Ignoring it, she quickly moved to her mother who wrapped her arms around her before they excitedly started to examine the ring.

Scorpius, though content to simply watch Lily, turned to Albus as he and Harry approached him. Without saying anything, Albus only hugged him before Harry shook his hand, both Potter men smiling brightly. "Congratulations." Harry said simply and Scorpius nodded and smiled back.

"Thank you."

"I'm glad it's you." Harry admitted simply, but before Scorpius could respond, Lily had come to his side, her arms wrapping around his body. Ginny also approached Scorpius and gave him a quick hug before she stepped to Harry's side.

Scorpius' attention quickly turned to Lily, who had lifted her left hand. Her eyes rested on the simple ring around her finger, a smile across her lips. "Do you like it?" Scorpius asked and Lily's eyes turned up to him. Instead of answering, she lifted herself up onto her toes and pressed their lips together.

In the next room, Natalie, James, and Sarah simply watched the exchanged, none of them really understanding the odd relationship between Scorpius and Lily. Sarah knew that the two had been together for less time than she and Albus, but that there was also much more in their shared history which made such a fast engagement far less shocking than it would have been otherwise. Just by watching the couple, however, it was undetectable that they shared a rather unorthodox relationship history. From their lingering glances and smiles, all that could be easily picked up was the genuine romance between them.


	23. Chapter 23

After a long night, Scorpius and Lily lay in her bed, his hand resting on her waist. Though they had not yet enjoyed the physical relationship James and Natalie were enjoying rather loudly in the next room, both were elated with the day and how it had turned out. As Scorpius reached for Lily's hand, he let his finger drag along the metal of her ring, before he laced their fingers and pulled their hands up so that he could peer at it in the dark.

"What?" Lily asked as she watched him study the ring on her finger.

"I wanted to have it engraved."

"With what?"

"That was the problem." Scorpius admitted and Lily laughed as Scorpius peered up at her, smiling. "There were so many things I wanted to put on there that I couldn't decide."

"What were the contenders?" Lily asked curiously as she snuggled closer to his body, letting his arm wrap around her body. She tucked her arm between their chests, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Forever." Scorpius answered, and Lily smiled as she started to nibble on her bottom lip. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes." Lily answered slowly before she laughed and felt Scorpius' lips on her forehead.

"You don't even want to know the others?"

"No," Lily shook her head and it was Scorpius' turn to laugh. He'd wanted to press his lips against hers for just a moment, but Lily responded to the kiss, holding him there for a moment longer. As Lily wrapped her arm around his neck, Scorpius pulled her closer as his hand ventured to the exposed area of her skin between her shirt and shorts.

They had been so much further in the past, and for some reason, they had been able to progress as far in their most recent relationship. They only time they had been remotely close, Albus had unknowingly ended the moment. Though Scorpius wanted Lily rather desperately, he had never asked Lily to do anything more than what she had been comfortable with, and had never pressured her into anything more.

Now that Lily was more than willing, Scorpius found himself becoming far too excited far too quickly. As he continued his touches up her torso, Lily had pulled from his kiss and eyed him before she lowered his hand a few inches. "Don't rush." Lily whispered to his and he nodded as he tried to remember her request. As her fingers slowly moved against his skin, he found it incredibly difficult to maintain the pace Lily wanted.

Unable to remain still, Scorpius rolled to lay above Lily, allowing his lips venture around her lips and neck, just as his hands moved up her sides. She had successfully removed his shirt and let it drop to the side of the bed, but Scorpius had quickly pulled away from her when a loud crash had seemed to echo in the room.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"I don't know." Scorpius answered as he held his hand out. His wand had flew across the room and landed in his palm as he rolled off of the bed and lifted his shirt from the ground. He was already halfway out of the room before he'd started to pull the shirt over his head. In the hallway, Albus already had his wand pulled as he neared the stairs. As reached Lily's bedroom, however, he paused as Scorpius finished pulling his shirt on.

"Don't." Scorpius responded strongly, even though Albus had no intention on commenting. Lily had followed Scorpius out of the room, just as Sarah had followed Albus, but Scorpius held his arm up to both women, letting Albus lead the way down the stairs.

"Potter! Malfoy!" A loud voice echoed from the first floor of the house, and Albus quickly moved back up the stairs.

"Go back." Scorpius said quickly as he pushed Lily towards the door. "Stay in here."

"Scorpius, don't."

"Please, stay here." He repeated as he looked into her eyes. "Lily. I need you to stay here."

"Who is that?"

"Please." Scorpius repeated before he turned away from her, though he knew Lily's nature better than his own. She might stay behind for a few moments, but he did not doubt that she would quickly join them. As Scorpius turned to Albus, he saw the same fear, though Albus' seemed to be channeled towards Sarah's joining of the men more so than Lily's.

Without words, Scorpius nodded to Albus, and the two descended the stairs quickly and quietly, hoping nobody would follow them. Albus rounded the corner first, and was quickly blown into the wall behind him. Though the spell had not wounded him, it had left his stunned. Scorpius moved into and sent a spell in the general direction. Though he'd missed, he'd gotten a few moments to look around, realizing Albus and himself were evenly matched against the two men they'd failed to catch some months ago.

As Albus gripped his wand, he sent a spell at the man closest to them, but remained leaning back against the wall as Scorpius continued down the second half of the stairs, his spells aimed towards the man farther away. In the few still moments between them, Albus heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but was quickly relieved to find his father. Instead of coming to Albus' side, Harry had effectively disabled one of the men, his spells proving to be far more effective and powerful than those of Albus or Scorpius. Albus had enough time and strength to return to his feet, with the help of his mother, who had also carried her wand to investigate the noise.

The remaining man had sent a spell, but Harry and Scorpius had each dodged it. Ginny had pushed Albus back to the floor and barely escaped the spell as well. As she had fallen, somebody had passed her on the staircase. Scorpius turned back, expecting Lily, but found Natalie instead.

"No," Scorpius yelled to her as he moved back up the stairs, letting Harry attack the intruder instead. As the spell had fired from his wand, a third man who had been undetected until then, had turned the corner from the next room. As Harry held the spell on the second man, the third had enough time to send one towards Natalie, but Scorpius had quickly taken the spell for her

"Scorpius," Albus pushed himself from his mother to go towards his closest friend. As Albus peered up at the man, he realized he'd let go of his wand after his mother had pushed him. In a moment, Albus reached for Scorpius' and sent his spell towards the third man, finally ridding the house of any active intruders.

"We're quitting, Al." Scorpius groaned before he started to cough and wince in pain.

"Sarah!" Albus yelled as he looked down at Scorpius' chest. "Sarah!" He repeated as he peered up, finding Lily and Natalie on the small platform in the center of the stairs. Lily had seen what had happened, but Albus was far too concerned for Scorpius than to worry about anything else.

Sarah quickly appeared and with a flick of her wand, Scorpius floated up, groaning as he moved. She moved him down the stairs and into the next room where Harry and Ginny were not inspecting the three men. On the flat ground, Sarah slowly lowered Scorpius so that she could properly heal the wounds as best as she could without the aid of medication.

Albus remained on the other side of Scorpius as Sarah slowly began to heal the massive wound. Lily had followed them, but turned around when she heard Natalie and James. Instantly, Lily's wand had seemed to appear in her hand and was pointed straight at Natalie's neck who had gotten far too close to Lily for her liking.

"Lily, lower your wand!" James yelled at her but Lily did not shift her eyes from Natalie. "Albus." James called for help. As Albus peered up at Lily, he surveyed the scene before him before he turned back to Scorpius, deciding to say nothing. He would not promote the harming of their brother's girlfriend, but under the circumstances, he would stop it either.

"Lily," Scorpius groaned as he tightened his fingers and moved his hand, but found only Albus beside him. "Stop it."

Only at Scorpius' request, did Lily lower her wand and turn back to him, replacing Albus at his side. She let her wand fall to the side as she took Scorpius' hand in hers, holding his fingers gently and pressing her lips to the tips.

"I love you," Lily said softly and Scorpius smiled back at her as though nothing was wrong. As she brought his fingers to her lips once more, Albus reappeared at her side.

"You'd better draw up those resignation papers." Scorpius said simply and Albus let out a dry laugh.

"Agreed." Albus responded with a nod, pretending not to notice the instant smiles across Lily and Sarah's lips.

"How's that?" Sarah asked and Scorpius tried to sit up, but quickly gave up and fell back to the floor. He shook his head as Albus left the room to deal with the three men. "You're going to want to stay down here for the night. So you can have more room to sleep," Sarah said simply, but was met by Scorpius' stare.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm sorry."

"I got engaged today." Scorpius said strongly and Sarah averted her eyes. "And your boyfriend is the biggest annoyance in my life. Do you know what he did?"

"Scorpius," Lily laughed as she squeezed his fingers and drew his attention. "You'll be fine in a few days."

"Lily, that's a few days away." He responded, and though he had been serious in his response, he smiled at the blush he'd forced across her cheeks.

"You'll be fine." She responded as she lowered herself to press their lips together. "We'll be fine."

"I want to be a little better than fine." Scorpius whispered to her and though Lily agreed, she only pressed their lips together for a moment before she pulled back.

"I'll stay down here with you." Lily told him softly and Scorpius only nodded, deciding that anything he said would have no affect anyway.


	24. Chapter 24

Scorpius walked into his apartment, much earlier than he had expected to, glad that he and Albus had completed their final day in their current positions. As he dropped his things near the door, he paused when he heard voice floating through the room from the hallway. With narrowed eyes, Scorpius approached the hallway and followed it until he reached his bedroom where Lily stood on side of the bed, and his mother on the other.

"What are you doing here?" Scorpius asked with a heavy sigh as he peered from Lily then to his mother.

"Who?" Lily asked.

"Both of you." Scorpius answered but Lily looked away from him, knowing he'd have been more than happy to find her in his bedroom had his mother not also been there.

"I am appalled, Scorpius." Astoria declared as she turned to her son, one hand on her hip. "I had to find out you were engaged through the newspaper. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

"Mother." Scorpius groaned as he stepped further into the room and started to unbutton his shirt. He walked past Lily to enter his closet as he removed his shirt. He quickly pulled a more comfortable shirt over his head before he joined the two women in his bedroom. "You know that I did not intentionally keep it from you."

"And then I come here to see you, and she's here without you."

"And you want me to say what about that?" Scorpius asked as he eyed his mother. He took a few steps towards Lily to press his lips against her temple before he walked across the room. As he neared his mother, he leaned out to put a kiss on her cheek, but he knew she was being resistant.

"We were going to see you and Dad tonight." Scorpius told her with a sigh as he turned and left the bedroom, knowing the two would follow anyway. "If that makes you feel any better."

"You didn't tell us."

"I sent you an owl an hour ago." Scorpius called back as he walked down the hallway, his mother trailed right behind him. "And I don't understand what you are so mad about. It's not like I'm marrying Rose. I think we all know what you think of her."

"She's a-"

"Mother, please." Scorpius groaned as he turned back to her. "I understand. But Lily still is her cousin. Remember?"

"Nobody would be able to tell if they didn't already know." Astoria answered and Scorpius only stared at his mother before realizing there was nothing he could say. Resolving to remain quiet, Scorpius turned and continued into the kitchen where Lily came to his side and pulled out food she had made for him to try. "Rose is nothing like you, Lily. She's a absolute-"

"Mother." Scorpius peered over his shoulder and she paused.

"You're absolutely lovely, Lily."

"Thank you." Lily replied with a bright smile as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"She's not coming to the wedding is she?" Astoria asked as Scorpius and Lily moved to the dining table. They sat side by side and began to nibble on their plates while Astoria remained standing on the other side of the table looking down at them.

"No." Scorpius answered. "We're having a small wedding."

"How small?" Astoria asked as though Scorpius had said something completely inappropriate.

Scorpius drew in a breath as he peered up at his mother. "You, Dad, her parents, and her brothers and possible their dates."

"She gets six guests?"

"What? Do you want to bring a date?" Scorpius responded and Astoria quickly straightened her posture as she ignored the ludicrous idea. "And besides, Albus is my best man anyway. He would be there even if he wasn't her brother. There is a bit of an overlap for our separate guests if you would really want to break it down. But we are not going to have some huge show for the whole world. No the Minister is not invited, and I don't care what that means for our social appearances."

"He's your boss, Scorpius."

"Not anymore." Scorpius replied. "We quit today."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Scorpius groaned as he dropped his silverware and looked up at his mother. "Lily could've been killed a week ago if her father hadn't been there to save me and Albus. That's why, mother. Not to mention I am just a little tired of those frequent trips to the hospital."

"Well, what are you going to do then?" Astoria asked as she sat down, for once appearing genuinely concerned for her son. Though Lily had never doubted Astoria as a mother and as a good person, she often had a way of making things seem much worse than they were. As soon as she calmed down, Lily enjoyed Astoria's presence.

"Right now?" Scorpius replied. "Lily's been invited to go to Romania to look at some old rocks."

Lily shut her eyes as she drew in a breath, doing her best not to correct Scorpius, knowing that he was simply explain the circumstances to his mother.

"I'm going to go with her. It's going be maybe a year." Scorpius answered.

"You're going to Romania for a year?" Astoria repeated.

"Yes. And then we'll come back."

"What if you have a baby and I'm not there?"

"Mum," Scorpius sighed as he looked back down to his food, but Lily knew it was more out of embarrassment than annoyance. "Could you please not be so over dramatic. I promise you that if a baby comes into the picture at anytime we will owl you immediately."

"Owl? We don't get a visit? For just a few hours?"

"Mum," Scorpius looked up at her, as did Lily, though Lily was far more entertained than Scorpius was. "We are not going to have a baby within the next year. Just leave it at that."

Astoria eyed Scorpius for a moment before she looked to Lily. She knew Scorpius was more than capable of making his own decisions and knew that things could be much worse than they were, not that Astoria did not like where Scorpius' life had brought him to so far. She very much liked the idea of Lily Potter as Scorpius' wife, though she knew the idea would leave the majority of people split. There were always those who had long ago forgotten everything the Malfoy name embodied, and it was clear to everyone that the Potter legacy would never die. It was those people who had often expressed disapproval over the once very publicized match.

Scorpius wasn't exactly sure when such coverage over their personal lives had stopped, but he had never cared to ask Lily about it. Something told him the lack of photographers had something to do with Lily. She was a woman who would stop at nothing to achieve what she wanted, and a simple life had always been one of her goals.

"You will need to announce it to the public." Astoria said and Scorpius paused to stare up at her.

"Why? Can't they just speculate and take a bunch of pictures?" He asked.

"They already do that." Astoria answered and Scorpius shrugged.

"Well, good then."

"Scorpius."

"I don't want to." He said as held his mother's gaze, a serious look across his face. "Every time I do something, it's across the papers. I date her, I get hated or loved. We break up, and everybody in the world blames me for… I don't know. Robbing the youngest Potter of her innocence which she apparently has by virtue of her father. As such, I have to be an ass because of Dad. You see how this works, Mother?" Scorpius asked. "And then I date Rose and I basically become public enemy number one because she," He paused to motioned to Lily beside him. Though she did not look up at him, Astoria saw the slight smile across her amused lips.

"She happens to take a new position in France, and that somehow equated to me conspiring to get her out of the country to date Rose. And she leaves me, by the way. Just in case you were at all interested in the truth, and I am blamed again because I've betrayed both of them. What exactly do you imagine will be on the next newspaper when we announce an engagement? Because I have a feeling it won't be good at all."

"Sweet heart, it wasn't as bad as you make it out to be." Astoria replied, and was met by Scorpius' stare. It was the one his father had.

"Did you fall asleep for the last five years of my life?"

"Darling." Astoria sighed as she looked into Scorpius' eyes. "I am not telling you to give out all of your private life details. Just announce the engagement before somebody goes to the extreme to get details. Besides, there have been pictures of you two together on magazines for some time. It won't be as much of a shock to the world."

"You are kidding, right?" Scorpius asked. "Half of those magazines are putting time limits on the relationship, and the other half is speculating as to whether or not I'm dating Rose at the same time."

"Well nobody said life in the public eye would be easy." Astoria replied.

"Well the next time somebody asks me if I want to have a life in the public eye, I'll keep that in mind." Scorpius answered as he turned back to his food. Everybody in the room knew exactly what it was like to have public interest forced onto them. In that regard, Astoria sympathized with the young couple before her. She had chosen to marry Draco Malfoy, a man whom she knew would change her life in more ways than one. She had quickly become a favorite among magazines and rumors.

Scorpius and Lily, however, did not have the same choice. They had been born to famous parents and had become extraordinary people in their own rights. The media attention they received was not entirely by their own doing and Astoria could not imagine how easy it was for the pair to accept such life facts.

Only then did she understand Scorpius' resistance to a large wedding and even an engagement announcement. He was often followed and photographed doing the most mundane of things. In turn, he wanted the most important things to remain his and Lily's entirely. Though Lily had not objected to any of Astoria's suggestions, she felt that Lily held the same position.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and followed this story until the end. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I enjoyed everything everyone thought. Thank you so much to every one who had supported me and this story, and in the future, I hope you'll read another of my stories! Until then, enjoy this last chapter.**

**X**

It had taken some convincing, but Scorpius had never doubted Lily's will. After some doing and a number of promises, Lily had managed to have everyone in agreement about the details of the wedding. In the same place Lily had fallen in love with Scorpius so many years ago, and the same place Scorpius had asked her to be his wife, the two had married with only their immediate family present. Of course, Sarah was there to walk with Albus, and James had quickly moved past Natalie and opted to watch his baby sister's wedding alone. He though it better than bringing a date who might get the impression he was far more serious about her than he actually was.

Though location and size had been obstacles, Lily's dress had been a far more difficult task to complete. She had wanted a simple and elegant green dress instead a traditional white wedding gown. No one had really understood, but it had hardly seemed to matter. After it was done, her choice is dress had gone mostly unnoticed, for her shining smile had taken the majority of the attention away from her dress.

Taking Scorpius up on his offer, Lily accepted a position in Romania to oversee the excavation on a historical site linked to famous wizards. With no job holding Scorpius back, he quickly gave Albus the majority of his things and Albus and Sarah moved into his spacious apartment. With nothing but a few bags, Scorpius followed Lily, but was more than happy to do so. It was an easy first year of marriage. Lily certainly had stressful moments, but Scorpius' arms had never been closed to her in the past, and never would be in the future.

"I've been moody all day." Lily said, sounding incredibly hopeless as she curled herself up into Scorpius' lap, letting his arms wrap around her.

"Lily, don't worry about it." Scorpius assured her as he reached up to stroke her hair softly. "It's just a bad day. It'll be alright." He promised as he pressed his lips to her cheek. Lily did not turn to him, and hardly appeared to respond at all, but Scorpius continued his kisses nonetheless. Once he spent a few moments on her neck, however, Lily moaned softly as she shifted to give Scorpius better access to the sensitive area of her neck. She could feel his lips grinning against her skin as he continued, his arms become tighter around her waist.

"You always knew how to make me feel better." Lily said as she pulled away and smiled at Scorpius.

"You've been feeling like this for a while though." Scorpius replied, concerned for his wife. He reached up to push the hair from her face and she smiled as she felt the close contact.

"Yeah," Lily agreed as she shifted so that she was facing Scorpius directly. "I talked to a Healer about that."

"You did? What did they say?"

Lily, smiled brightly, pressed their lips together before she looked into his eyes once more. "We're going to have to go home for a few days."

**X**

As soon as they had gotten to the Potter house, Lily and Scorpius had been flooded with people. Lily had quickly been swept away by her mother while Albus and Sarah had arrived shortly after, without even knowing Lily and Scorpius were in town. Sarah had left to join Lily, leaving Albus and Scorpius to catch up after months of separation. Though both had been more than happy to move on with their lives with the women they loved, nothing had really changed between them.

"We're going to tell my parents today." Albus said simply and Scorpius narrowed his eyes at him. "I proposed to Sarah."

"What?" Scorpius asked as he immediately broke into a smile. "That's great, Al," he said as the two men hugged. "I'm happy for you. When did you do it?"

"About a week ago." He answered, clearly far too excited to even try to conceal it. "We're going to get a house."

"Yeah?" Scorpius asked and Albus only nodded. Albus had wanted to ask Scorpius about how things had been for him, but Lily and Sarah had approached them. Albus quickly pulled his sister into a hug while Scorpius and Sarah also hugged.

"You're so tan." Albus laughed as he looked at Lily, who seemed to be shining as brightly as she had on her wedding day, but Albus had expected as much. He had never really expected Lily and Scorpius to fade, even just a little. They never had in the past.

"I missed you." Lily replied before she put a kiss on his cheek. Albus returned the gesture before he looked up at his parents standing near the wall of the room. They had been more than happy to simply watch their happy children. He had started to turn to Scorpius, but Sarah came to his side, wrapping her arm around his and peering into his eyes.

"Yeah?" Albus asked and Sarah nodded. "Mum, Dad, um…" Albus started but trailed off before he could find the words. After a moment, he took in a breath and smiled as he felt Sarah put her hand in his. "We're getting married."

In the excitement that had followed, Lily and Scorpius moved to the side, both content to watch Albus find the happiness they had already known for so long. Time passed and eventually, James was owled to ask him to come home for Albus' news and stay for dinner with the family while Lily was still near.

As Lily, Sarah, and Ginny became caught up in little details of the wedding, Albus and Scorpius had left through the back door to find time to simply talk, since they had spent so little time together in the recent months.

"So," Albus said as he looked to Scorpius. "What were you guys going to say tonight?"

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius replied and Albus only rose an eyebrow.

"I mean, you two didn't come home the exact weekend I was going to tell my parents about Sarah and I." Albus answered and Scorpius drew in a breath as he laughed and shook his head. "Tell me."

"Lily's pregnant."

Albus only smiled as he nodded and Scorpius let out a laugh. "But it's it fine, Al." Scorpius shrugged. "You guys just take the weekend. We'll come back in a month and tell them. You should have your own time."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. You too." Scorpius answered and the two simply turned to look out at the table beneath the oak tree. Many things had happened over the course of their friendship, but neither had imagined something quite as complicated and satisfying as the two beautiful women inside waiting for them.


End file.
